I'll Help You
by Aqua783
Summary: This is the story of Sawako Kuronuma. A girl who's an outsider for the fact that she resembles the character from "The Ring". Sawako tries her best to bring peace to those around her and the only one who notices turns out to be Shouta Kazehaya. Things become interesting as Sawako slowly opens her heart to Shouta. In the long-run, what will happen?
1. Feelings

**A/N: Hello! It's Aqua here! Just would like to say that: I'm... VERY pleased with myself. I think I did really well on this chapter and I hope you guys think so too!**

**Please, read on and tell me what you think!  
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**Disclaimer:****_ I do not own Kimi Ni Todoke or its characters!_  
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**Btw:  
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_Italic_ = Either memory, thought or empathized words (You'll be able to tell the difference)

**_Bold/Italic_**= Empathized words in a memory or thought

* * *

_I know I'm not refreshing, I know I look scary, you don't have to tell me and you definitely don't have to talk about me like that right behind my turned back. I wish I was something more, but I can't seem to get my feelings across. Even though I grew up with the name Sadako clinging to me like moss, it doesn't mean I still don't feel a sharp pain in my heart when I hear it whispered in the wind._

_The people around me don't even take the time to consider a bright and lively side of me. They all go for the dark, cold and scary "Sadako" that doesn't even exist. They don't even notice I try to do everything in my will to make the environment around me pleasant with all the things I do. The one person who sparked my icy life, was the one who noticed my kindness and treats everyone with the same equality. That would be Kazehaya Shouta. The moment I met this person, I knew something was going to change drastically._

* * *

"Hey, isn't that "Sadako"?" The quiet murmur was not quiet at all to my ears. The more I heard my name mentioned by people who didn't even know me, the more cautious I got.

"Yeah, I heard that she can see evil spirits." The couple of girls behind me didn't even _intend_ to try to avoid letting me hearing their gossip. I silently ignored them, like I always do.

"Huh? No way!" I felt their gaze on my back for a moment before they returned to huddle together to share more gossip.

I rested my elbow on my desk and balanced my head on my hand. I recalled the scene that happened before school started.

* * *

_I was walking along a path towards the school; wind billowed through the branches of the trees, making them come alive. Petals danced and swirled at my feet with each step I took. I stared intently at the pirouetting petals with gleaming eyes. I glanced up and noticed a boy standing at the place where the path parted. I suddenly noticed that he was wearing the same uniform of my school._

"_Um… If you're looking for the Kitahoro High School, it's over there…" I nervously lifted my finger to point towards the right._

"_Eh?" I expected him to now go dashing off to get away from me, but what happened next really surprised me._

"_Thank you!" He gave me a giant, beaming smile. My eyes widened as he carelessly waved at me before turning to head onto the path._

* * *

I breathed out a sigh and looked over at the person I met this morning. _Kazehaya Shouta... My idol._ The bell for class to start chimed across the school. Everybody got in their seats and quieted down as the teacher walked in. I saw the nervous tension in his eyes as he shakily made his way to the front of the class.

"W-Welcome students, to c-classroom 1-D. I'm your homeroom t-teacher, Arai Yoshiyuki, you may call me Zen if you'd l-like." I saw him glance in my direction before averting his eyes from mine.

_Oh, it's like that._

I mentally sighed as I straightened my back and clasped my hands together, resting them on my desk.

"_Don't hold your gaze for more than three seconds…" _The rumor passed around that if you held my gaze for more than three seconds, you would get cursed, came to mind. I uncomfortably shuffled in my seat and squeezed my hands together.

* * *

Lunchtime came way too slowly. Student's voices buzzed in my ears as I quietly sat in my own seat eating my homemade bento.

"Sawako!" I recognized that voice.

"Shino…" My face lit up immediately as I rushed over to her. Her voice lowered to a quiet whisper.

"Hey, how are you doing in your new class?" I stared at her briefly before replying, "It's alright, no need to worry." The small lie to my best friend stung.

"Well that's good. I was afraid the same thing that happened in middle school was going to happen." She laughed and I nodded. Disappointment arose from the fact that we were not in the same class and that quickly washed over the feeling of regret I had for lying.

"I hardly get to see you too…" Her face saddened and she pulled me in for a tight hug. The room behind me settled down and I heard someone speak.

"Aren't you afraid of being cursed?" I suddenly froze; rock solid. Shino started and slowly unwound from around me. She took a step in front of me.

"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow and I turned to see the class glaring at us two.

"Ghosts. She can see ghosts and summon them to haunt you." The girl who was speaking maniacally laughed an evil laugh. "In fact, isn't she a ghost herself?" Others chuckled and Shino growled.

"Wouldn't that mean _you_ could see ghosts?" She snapped back. The girl looked taken aback and I heard a few people "Oh" in agreement. I saw a few nodding heads, as well.

Through the crowd of people I saw the dark hair of Kazehaya-kun swerve through between their heads. He made his way to the front and stepped out. My mouth dropped, though, nobody could see me, standing behind Shino, who was taller than me. I continued to peek my way from behind Shino. Kazehaya-kun stood in front of the girl now and held out a hand.

"Look, Kuronuma is not a ghost and in fact, she is very pleasant." He turned towards the crowd who was awestruck.

"What, standing up for the girl you like?" One of the accomplices of the girl who spoke first sneered. That's when I thought I should say something. This was not supposed to be a worry for my idol. I nervously took a step out from behind Shino; a clenched fist was firmly pressed against my chest.

"It's a misunderstanding." The room went dead silent as everyone stared at me like I was some kind of mutant. Their eyes told me they were looking at something horrific, something completely disgusting. I looked around and began again, pressing my _true_ feelings onto them.

"It's true that he was just standing up for me, but I'm not… Anything special. It's because, as everyone knows, Kazehaya-kun's a person who treats everyone equally without discrimination." Their mouths gaped at me. Kazehaya-kun's eyes widened.

_I still need to tell them one more thing._

"I'm just… Truly captivated by Kazehaya-kun's kindness… And cheerfulness… And brilliance… _That _is the truth. There are no misunderstandings about that."

_I said it. _

I suddenly noticed they were still staring at me.

"E-Excuse me." I quickly bowed my head and scurried out of the classroom towards the bathroom.

"Do you think we went too far?" The class murmured a response that you would only hear if you were in the room.

* * *

I splashed water on my face and glanced at myself through the mirror.

_That's it. _I gently wiped my face dry with a paper-towel. I gave out a small sigh and jerked with surprise when the bathroom door opened.

"Sawako?"

_Shino._

I looked through the mirror seeing her come up behind me.

"Everyone apologized… And they want to tell you personally when you come back." She shifted from foot to foot and I noticed sadness in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" I looked into her eyes and she returned my gaze. Tears began to develop in her eyes and I took a shaky step back.

"Sawako!" She wailed as she clung onto me for a hug. I stood stiff for a moment, before relaxing and winding my own arms around her.

"It's only the first day and you already are being rejected by the class. Why didn't you tell me?" I was shocked.

"I didn't want to worry you. Besides, it was like this last year. What's so different thi…" She cut me off.

"Because even if you say that you don't want me to worry, I still worry! I know from last year. I know _already_ how people treat you! Don't tell me to not worry over this, when I do already! What's different this year is that I'm still your friend. Nothing is going to change that. I know that everyone in the past has left you, but _I'm. Not. Like. That_! I know you _so well_. I want you to have more friends, because _with _friends you can experience new kinds of things that you can't, with only one!" She gripped my arms tightly while tears traveled down her face over and over again; like a pinwheel that gets blown by the wind. The wind being all the emotions she was expressing in her words.

I was shocked speechless now. My eyes were as big as saucers as I stood there, emotionless. I moved my arms slightly, indicating I would like to be released. Her grip loosened and once she did that, I hugged her tightly.

"Thank you." I smiled over her shoulder and glanced around. I saw the door open and jerked away from Shino. She got out a handkerchief to wipe her tears and smiled. I nodded and took her hand in mine. Together, we walked to the classroom where everyone was waiting for us.

* * *

**A/N: I'm back! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and will continue reading. I want all my readers to be happy with my writing, so if there's something that doesn't seem right, I'd like all the advice I could get! =3  
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**So, this is my first fanfic on Kimi ni Todoke... How do you guys think I did? Please review if you can! ^^  
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	2. His Back

**A/N: Hi, it's Aqua here! I hope you enjoyed my the last chapter and will enjoy this one just as much! I mean, what's the point in writing anything if no one enjoys it? **

**The only thing I wish is that I could hear at least one person's opinion... Even if it was one full of hate. xD I like hearing from my readers, makes me feel alive! Idk, it's weird. Writing is so important to me, I just want to hear the thoughts of everyone. ^^**

**ANYWAYS! Read on!  
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* * *

"That's all for today. From what I've seen, your scores from middle school have given me an idea who I should pick as the Class Representative… As well as leadership skills, I've also taken that into account. This class's representative, Kazehaya-kun, please stand." The class roared with applause.

"I knew it would be Kazehaya-kun!" A couple girls behind me laughed and smiled as they stared admirably up at Kazehaya-kun.

"Everyone, settle down. Kazehaya-kun, could you get the students to stand, bow and sit?" Kazehaya-kun nodded. The room quieted down long enough for us to stand, bow and sit, but once the teacher dismissed us, the chaos of the classroom resumed. The air unsettled as chairs scratched against the floor and everybody busily headed out of the classroom. I stayed. The last few people going out glanced at me quickly before pushing and shoving as if a fire had just broke out. I sighed; my shoulders fell in a relaxed manner. The teacher had retreated to the teacher's lounge to get away from me and I was left all alone.

I got out my schedule to write down some notes. I plucked the pencil from behind my ear and squared the piece of paper neatly on my desk. I wrote down a note. _Tap. Tap. Tap. _My pencil hit the desk with a simple, ticking sound. _Tap. Tap. Tap. _I heard someone running down the hall. The hollow sound of the sliding door opening met my ears. I listened to the slight pant that disturbed the air.

"There's my bag." I kept the tip of my pencil on my piece of paper and looked over my shoulder. My eyes widened.

"Kazehaya-kun…" I immediately dropped my pencil and stood up.

"I still haven't thanked you for what you did for me, so… -I bowed- Thank you." I heard a chuckle emit from the corner of his mouth. I was shocked and I looked up to stare at his brightly lit face.

"No need to be so formal." He smiled and rubbed the back of his head. My eyes glazed over and my lips curved slightly upwards. A small smile, but no one would say it was one. Silence quickly filled the room and I thought hastily.

"Oh, right. Congratulations on being appointed Class Representative!" He smiled again and nodded.

"Mmhmm." He bent down and scooped his bag into his hand.

"Are you heading home now?" I cocked my head to one side and he stared at me.

"You know, you're not as scary as everybody says you are." I felt my face heat up a bit and smoothed my hair down nervously.

"Ah… Er… I-I guess…" I fiddled with my fingers in front of me. He laughed cheerfully.

"Sawako Kuronuma. It means "lively child" doesn't it?" _Thump. Thump. Thump. _My heart clenched tightly.

_Nobody has called me by my real name in so long._

"Eh? But, my name doesn't…"

"It suits you, doesn't it?" He startled me, and again, with that beaming smile, he captivated me. I watched in slow-motion as he walked out of the classroom. A modest action, but it made me feel so lonely. I couldn't help but notice a small silver lining of a figure trailing behind him.

My first thoughts: _Nobody has ever told me that my name suits me… Ever…_

My second thoughts: _What was that behind him?_

* * *

Rain poured down and continued like a waterfall. I walked along the riverbed; mist tickled my face from underneath my umbrella. The sun was disguised as a glowing cloud. I held my umbrella tightly and wished the rain would stop. I squeezed my eyes shut and reopened them to find in my vision someone I had met around the same time yesterday.

"Kazehaya-kun." I spoke without hesitation. I bit my lip and wondered what would happen now.

_Maybe yesterday was just a once in a lifetime thing..._

He turned around with a surprised look on his face, but when he saw it was me, his expression softened and he smiled.

"Kuronuma!" I stopped dead in my tracks and he waved at me; still smiling. "Good morning!" He started to walk towards me.

"G-G-Good mor..." I stuttered and took a step back.

**Bad move.**

My foot slipped and I feel backwards; my umbrella flung out of my hand, along with my bag and I landed with a thud on the ground.

"Ouch..." I saw Kazehaya-kun discard his umbrella on the ground and rush over to me.

"Kuronuma, are you okay?!" His face was gentle, but you could hear all of the concern in his voice.

"Ye-Yes, I'm fine." He placed his bag beside me and helped me get up. I cringed. A sharp pain inflicted my ankle.

_Oh, no._

I froze; limped to one side as Kazehaya-kun held my arm to keep me up.

"Kuronuma?" He let go of my arm and I angled my ankle up so I wouldn't put pressure on it. He stared at me, his eyes were as large as saucers.

"Ah... I t-think... My ankle is sprained... But I'll just go home." I leaned over to pick up my umbrella. Kazehaya-kun reacted swiftly and grabbed my umbrella away from me.

"Eh?" I looked up at him. His face was something like a stranger to me. So serious, as if he was thinking something really important.

He closed up my umbrella as I stood up. I saw him turn his back to me and my eyes widened.

_Of course, he's just going to leave._

It wasn't a surprise, but it just hurt _so_ much. He was the only one I thought was different.

_Never mind._

For the first time since the bullying began, tears welled up in my eyes.

I sniffed and wiped my nose with my sleeve. I turned, trying to keep my balance and spotted my bag on the ground. I bent over to pick it up and when I straightened myself, Kazehaya-kun was standing a few feet away from me, dangling his hands by his side which were carrying his umbrella and my own.  
He opened his mouth to speak.

"You should get that treated right away and I thought it'd be best if I helped you to the school because it's closer." A light blush covered his cheeks, not much, but it still counted. He held his head high, but didn't make eye contact.

"Eh?!" I teetered backwards slightly and he quickly wound his arm around me to keep me from falling.

"Don't cry and stop backing away from me! We need to get going. I'll get my bag and then you can hop onto my back." He turned away and backtracked towards his bag.

_Eh?! _

He returned quickly and with a lot of discussion and rearranging, we found the best way to travel.

* * *

_My heart thumped as I rode on Kazehaya-kun's back to the school. I held the umbrella up carefully as we trudged our way at an ongoing pace. I hoped he wasn't able to feel my heartbeat. I felt as though my heart was going to burst out at any moment. _

I studied the back of his head for a moment before noticing a curled hair. I giggled.

"Eh?! What is it?" He turned his head, trying to look at me. My face reddened and I frantically pushed his head forwards. _Thump. Thump. Thump. _My heart rate quickened.

"Nothing!"

_That was close, I thought I would faint. That was too much. _

I shook my head.

"Hey, that was the first time I heard you laugh. Come to think of it... Back then it was the first time I saw you cry too." My eyes widened and my face burned.

"Well..."

"Really... -He chuckled- When that girl barked at you, I thought you would cry. I've heard the rumors too and thought that you must be sick of it and so upset. But... You defended yourself... And me, I guess. I thought it was really refreshing." My mouth opened in shock and I stayed silent.

We continued to advance towards the school in silence. Every time I glanced at his back his shoulders appeared broader.

_Since when were his shoulders so large?_

* * *

We arrived at the school where Kazehaya-kun's friends were waiting for him in the locker room.

"Kazehaya!... You finally come to school and you're with a girl?! It's only the second day and what about m-e-e-e-e!?" Joe, one of the more desperate friends of Kazehaya-kun who wanted a girlfriend clung onto Kazehaya-kun like his life depended on it.

"Ey! It's Kuronuma! Ku-ro-nu-ma! She sprained her ankle and I thought, instead of her going back home, I would just take her to the school." Joe let go and his jaw dropped.

"Oh, that's what happened." He rubbed the back of his head and laughed feverishly.

"Heh... Heh... HAHAHAHAHAHA!" A big grin was plastered on his face as I slid off Kazehaya-kun's back. I kept weight off my foot and looked around. Sanada-kun was here too, just standing there as if nothing was going on. Kazehaya-kun turned to me and spoke.

"Hey, Kuronuma, do you have any spare clothes?" I stared up at him and shook my head.

"Yo, Kazehaya! Here's a towel!" Another one of Kazehaya-kun's friends tossed him a towel. That's when I realized that I've been too selfish lately.

_He has other friends... Why would he spend time with me?_

I fidgeted with the button on my umbrella as Kazehaya-kun called out.

"Yoshida! Do you have extra sweats or something?" Two girls were hanging around behind Sanada-kun and the taller one glanced over at us.

"Eh?" My thoughts were filled with those of surprise.

"Uh... Yeah, I do. Why?" She noticed me and shrieked.

"Eh?!" I was taken aback by the shriek.

"Don't just shriek like who've seen a ghost!" Kazehaya-kun said and started to wipe his hair.

"Wha!? Sadako, you don't have any extra clothes?! Guess it can't be helped." She turned to her locker and flung it open. She rummaged through for sometime before coming out holding some dirty gym clothes.

"Here, t-take these!" She gave them to me shakily. I could tell that I made her nervous.

"Oh, don't bother returning those..." She whispered something to Yano and laughed nervously.

"I'm not going to curse them..." The clothes felt like lead in my hands.

"Ah! That's not it!" She continued to laugh and the clothes lightened up.

"I see... Well, thank you!" I smiled from the bottom of my heart. Everybody stopped talking. Kazehaya-kun stopped to look at me.

"Wha?! Sadako smiled! _Sadako_ smiled!" Yoshida and Yano became extremely excited. Kazehaya-kun stared at me in disbelief. His ears reddened a bright red and he covered his face for a moment. He turned away from me and my attention was now averted to Yoshida who began to tear up.

"Eh?! Yoshida?" She took my hand in hers.

"I'm just... Deeply moved." She smiled and we laughed.

_Ah, how long has it been since I've laughed like this..._

* * *

**A/N: There's chapter two for you! (I just rhymed, haha.) I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
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**I plan on taking my stories slow from now on. When I was writing "I'm Going to Show My Love" I always wanted to please my readers by updating everyday, but now I know, I should just try my best and take it slow. Don't you guys agree? I think it's for the best... If you guys keep a watch on my story and would like me to update quicker, PM me and I will try my very hardest! Again, hope you enjoyed the chapter... Read and review!**

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**Edit: If any of the characters seem OOC please notify me! Thank you! ^^  
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	3. Pass Out

**A/N: Hello! Here's chapter three! I hope you enjoy it. =3**

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and got one of my friends to help me a bit. She didn't write anything just pointed out some things and helped me with more expressive words. I could've done it by myself, but I just like getting pointers from the reader's point of view. If you know what I mean, you'll understand. ^^ **

**I LOVE MY READERS! R&R  
**

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The bell signaling lunchtime started a chain reaction. Chatting filled the room. Students quickly got out of their seats. The smell of rice filled my nostrils.

_Every day is practically the same._ I grabbed my lunch from beside me and opened it.

I sighed.

Dynamite rolls, rice and lychee juice.

_Same as always._

* * *

_It's been a week since I sprained my ankle. Kazehaya-kun had been greeting me every day, always with the same cheerful disposition that I longed to achieve. I would try to reply just as cheerfully, but I end up biting my tongue every time because it was all too new to me. This new feeling of having more than one person by your side thrilled me. Yano and Yoshida have been staying by my side the past week too. Every day was a new adventure for me._

* * *

"Sadako!" Yoshida called. I looked over to see Yano and her standing in the doorway grinning.

"We're going to have lunch outside. C'mon join us!" Yano motioned for me to come. My eyes widened as my cheeks burned a slight red. I quickly scrambled to close up my bento and hurried to meet them.

"Let's go!" Yoshida smiled her toothy grin and wrapped her arms around Yano and me. We headed outside into the bright sun.

* * *

**Shota P.O.V:**

"Hey, isn't that Sadako?" One of my friends pointed out the window towards a group of three people. Yoshida, Yano and Kuronuma.

"Eh?" I glanced out the window and smiled.

"It is." I continued to stare out the window at the playful bunch.

"What is it?" My friend poked his face in front of mine to look at my expression.

"Well, Kuronuma has always been alone because of all the rumors. It's nice to see her with people nowadays." I span my legs around my desk to stand up on the other side. I stretched and looked over at my friend.

"I'm gonna go see how she is." I saluted to him and walked out of the classroom.

* * *

**Sawako P.O.V:**

Kazehaya-kun is 100% refreshness!" I clapped my hands together as a voice called out.

"Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?" My eyes grew wide and I turned towards where the voice came from.

Kazehaya-kun stood inside, leaning out the window and giving me a cheeky grin.

"As a compliment!" I smiled; my eyes glistened and my cheeks flushed a rosy-red. He laughed and looked to his left down the hall where he heard a voice.

"I'm busy! Give me five and then come get me from outside." He called over to his friend and returned his gaze to us.

"Hold on." He turned to leave and I glanced over at Yano and Yoshida. They shrugged and smiled. A minute passed. Kazehaya-kun appeared out of nowhere beside me.

"Hey!" My shoulders jerked with surprise. He laughed.

"Eh? Sorry!" He touched my shoulder lightly and my heart began to beat quickly.

"Eh…" My ears burned and my face heated up. I shook my head; Yano and Yoshida looked at me curiously.

"Um, so why did you decide to come outside?" I slid over to the spot beside Yoshida to get out of Kazehaya-kun's reach.

"Because I saw how much fun you guys were having and decided I wanted to join." He smiled and my body relaxed.

_Relaxed? Why was I so tense? _ I brushed it off and my eyes caught something.

The silver lining from last week hung by Kazehaya-kun's side. My eyes studied it and I unconsciously reached out to touch it.

"What are you doing?" I snapped out of it and looked at Yano who had asked.

"Eh? What, nothing!" I fumbled around and quickly clasped my hands behind my back.

The silver lining shimmered; a ghostly white face flashed before my eyes and disappeared as quickly as it came. My eyes were drawn to the mystery before the lining shimmered once again before disappearing. I blinked. _Thump. Thump. Thump._ My heart beat was hard against my chest as I stared blankly at the spot where the lining was.

"What are you looking at?" Kazehaya-kun stooped down to line himself eye-to-eye. I looked up, our eyes meeting. My face flushed and I quickly hid behind Yoshida.

"Th-There was a sp-spider!" I pointed to the spot I was looking at as I heard everyone laugh.

"I thought you'd seen a ghost! Your face was so serious!" Yoshida laughed wholeheartedly and I snickered at myself.

_I'm just hallucinating. I shouldn't trouble myself with that thing anymore. _I sighed and Yano patted my back.

"It's gone now, got scared off by our laughing." She gave me a smile and I smiled back.

"Thank you Yano." I bowed slightly and Yoshida spoke up.

"Hey, why don't you stop being so formal and try calling us by our first names?" Her famous smile flew across her face and lightened up the air.

"Eh? O-Okay…" I looked over at Kazehaya-kun. He stood there with a vibrant, beaming smile and glowing eyes.

I twiddled my fingers in front of me, looked down at them and stammered.

"A-Ayane." I looked up to see a smile on her face and she nodded her head. She nodded off towards Yoshida. I turned myself to face her and drew a breath.

"Chi…zuru." Her eyes immediately widened and she looked breath-taken. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she grasped my hands.

"So… So moved!" Ayane chuckled while Kazehaya-kun burst out laughing. I smiled and giggled.

"You, and… Ayane, –Ayane smiled again- are two of my best friends!" My cheeks burned as we all laughed together.

"Shouta!" One of Kazehaya-kun's friends called out to him and waved out the window.

"Oh, right! Well, I gotta go. I'll hang with you guys later!" We waved him off as he disappeared around the corner of the school.

All was silent once he left and Ayane took the chance to bring something up.

"You know, I think you've fallen." She smirked and Chizuru looked at her.

"Fallen? Have I missed something? What did I fall off of?" Ayane sniggered and covered her mouth. Her laugh became an uncontrollable rattle as she pounded Chizuru's back who was laughing as well.

"Eh?! What is it?!" Ayane stopped and looked at me seriously. She crept up close to my ear.

"You've fallen for Kazehaya." She whispered in my ear making it tingle. To add to that, what she said made them burn and my eyes widened.

"Wha…" She put her finger over my lips and pointed upwards. The bell had rung.

We headed inside; my was head spinning and my face was on fire. We stepped into class and everyone grew silent as they stared at me.

"EH!" They pointed at my face and I took a step back. I bumped into someone. I turned and looked upwards, right up at Kazehaya-kun's face. The color in my face deepened and everyone screamed.

"EH?!" My eye caught something. Something was blooming beside Kazehaya-kun. A little girl; clothed in a delicate, lace dress twirled around and smiled at me. Her skin was transparent. Her eyes glowed.

My head was spinning faster and faster as the room around me began to move. Someone yelled. I hit my head. Hard. My eyes drew blank.

* * *

When I reopened my eyes, I laid motionless in a clean, white, infirmary bed. I sat up and looked around questionably. My eyes took in the image of a young woman in the doorway. Dyed blonde hair reached her abdomen and was curled at the tips. She looked to be about in her twenties with a daring nose-piercing and a double pierced ear with giant hoops dangling by her face. Dressed in white, she leaned against the door-frame and spoke.

"Did you plan on sleeping all day?" She raised an eyebrow. I stared at the smirked she let leak out the side of her mouth.

"Eh?... No, w-what happened?" I pushed down the light-weight quilt and shook my legs out from under it. She sighed irritably before replying.

"While you were passed out, a boy carried you in here and he was blushing! Can you believe that? What kind of perverted thoughts do you think he was having?" She cackled as she slid herself off the door-frame and walked over to me. My eyes widened.

"Kazehaya-kun would not think like that!" I hopped onto my knees and leaned forwards. She took a step towards me and stuck her nose into my face.

"And what makes you so sure?" Her face frowned, but then changed drastically. She smiled and stood up straight.

"I'm just joking! You were the one who was so serious." She threw back her head and laughed some more. I was shocked speechless. She patted my back.

"You're a good kid, justifying the guy you like." She smiled at me, her lips curving into a sly smile.

"No, no! I don't like him, I simply admire him for his brilliance" My face was decorated red and my ears were on fire.

"You know what they say, "Admiration turns into love." or something like that. Just make sure to always be true to yourself. Don't ever think of lying to yourself!" She ruffled my hair and turned her back to me.

"Un! I promise." She looked over her shoulder and gave a small smile. I smiled back as she turned to do some paperwork.

"You may go. Class is almost over by the way." I glanced at the clock and widened my eyes.

_She was right!_

"Ah, well I better go. Thank you." I stood up and bowed before exiting through the door.

"Admiration turns into love… So true, so true."

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**A/N: So if you couldn't guess, it was the nurse who was speaking at the end...**

**WELL! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER!**

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**Shout-out to: ILoveBunnies & Nai Mayonaka Kage who favourited my story! **

**Thank you ILoveBunnies for my first review.  
**

**Please keep in touch and keep reading!  
**


	4. Fall

**A/N: O.O (Edit)  
**

**I seriously do not know how I came up with such a chapter. I was just going along with it and it just went "WOAH!" Hope you guys will have the same reaction after you read it. I think it's seriously scary good for my writing. Hehe ^^  
**

**R&R!  
**

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"You may come in." The teacher motioned for me to open to the door.

The door wailed with age when I opened it. Everyone stared at me with eyes I couldn't decipher. They began frantically whispering things into each other's ears.

I slid my chair against the floor and plopped myself onto my seat. The teacher quickly quieted things down as I sighed and rested my head on my hand. Everyone looked over with the same eyes I couldn't figure out.

_What exactly did I do?_

Class slowly dragged on until the last bell and that's when everything appeared in front of me.

* * *

A small swarm of girls surrounded me. A model-figure like girl with long, light-brown, wavy hair crossed her arms and leaned on my desk. Her face was right there, and she spoke bluntly.

"Sadako! At lunch you were _blushing_! Does that mean you're like everyone else and have someone in mind? Wait, could it be _Kazehaya-kun_?" I stared at them in shock.

_What are you saying? _I played with my fingers in my lap and when I began to speak, I stuttered.

"N-no… H-He's just a friend… A g-good friend that I simply ad-admire." I spoke softly. The girls exchanged looks and nodded.

"Right, okay, we get you." The girl stood up and slid her hand back, fixing her hair.

"How 'bout we be good friends too." She smiled a smile I had never seen before. Wait, I have seen this smile before.

* * *

_I was in middle school walking in the hallways with Shino._

"_Sawako. Let's go get something from the vending machines." She smiled at me and grabbed my hand. _

_She led me to the vending machines where a few girls were hanging around. They glanced at me with no expression. They thought I was some monster that could see ghosts and send them to haunt anyone at any time. They smiled a smile that was strong. No, it was weak. Weak with real feelings._

* * *

That is what this girl was showing me precisely.

She reached out her hand, "I'm Ume, but call me Kurumi. I hate being called Ume." She laughed a beautiful laugh. Cute and light, like a fairy. I already knew what she really was. _A witch_. But what kind of witch will this fairy turn out to be?

I grabbed onto her hand knowingly. We shook on our friendship.

_I know that everyone in the past has left you, but __**I'm. Not. Like. That**__!_

Shino's words echoed in my head as a tear sprang in my eye.

"Hey, are you alright?" A girl to the left of me placed a hand on my back. The hand was cold, but I ignored it for the time being.

"Heh, I'm just really happy." I wiped the tear away with my finger.

_That was a lie._

Something churned in my stomach.

"Sawako!" I turned towards the voice.

"Shino!" I stumbled to get up and ran over to give her a hug. I smiled and the tears began to fall again.

"Eh?" I unwound myself and touched my cheek. It was soaked with tears.

"Heh, I can't seem to stop." Shino's eyes widened and she grasp my arms tightly.

"Sawako!" She ran her finger along my arm and looked over at the girls by my desk.

"What did you do?" Her voice was menacing as she took a step towards the girls.

"We didn't do anything. We just became friends with Sadako, right? Sawako." I looked over to see her smiling her fairy smile.

Shino advanced quickly. _Slap! _A red mark was branded across Kurumi-chan's face. My hands were brought up by my mouth as I stared at the back of Shino's head. I knew that if I were to see her face it wouldn't be what you thought it would be. It wouldn't be a face with flared nostrils and accelerated breathing, it would be covered in tears. She sniffed and snatched my bag up from my desk and turned towards me; tears stained her porcelain skin. I was right. She didn't stop walking. She past me and angrily seized my arm, pulling me along.

We headed out into the fresh air without even changing our shoes.

_My mom is going to get mad. Never mind, Shino's words are far more important. _

We didn't stop once. We continued on towards the bridge. A memory flashed across my mind like lightning._  
_

* * *

_A girl with outstretched arms stood on the bridge's railings.  
_

_"I'm a bird and I'm going to jump, since my mom is already gone! I need to learn to spread my wings... and fly!" _

_I sat underneath the bridge with my arms wrapped around my knees. I listened to the sounds of the earth. My ears picked up a voice and I looked around. No one was visible so I got up and trudged up the hill to level land. I looked down the path to see a girl wearing a sun hat and a white, flowery dress smiling into the breeze with her arms extended out. She flapped her arms up and down and did a little hop. She trotted along the railing carelessly and looked straight ahead. She hadn't seen me yet and I walked slowly and cautiously towards her. Mist speckled the air, as it was a bright early morning. No one would be awake to help her if she really did jump. She stopped and looked out across the small stream lined with sharp rocks. The height wasn't that high, approximately a few meters, but what really counted was what she would land on. If she were to jump, she would land on nothing but rocks.  
_

_"Maybe I can meet my mom were I'm flying off to. My dad said that she was across the sea though..." The depressed look on the girl's face was all too familiar. I knew her pain. My dad had "flown off" last year. I cried non-stop, but my mom told me to be strong. The strong-willed Sawako was what my mom said she loved.  
_

_Her expression softened as she turned her back. A gust of wind swept through and took her hat along with it. I unconsciously grew closer. Close enough for her to notice if she were paying attention to me instead of her hat. Her arms flailed as she balanced on one foot and reached out to grasp her hat. Out of her reach, she sighed and placed her foot back on the railing. **Slip. **I ran. Her arms windmilled back as she disappeared behind the railing. **Grasp.** I cried out as her weight pulled me slightly over the railing. My body wailed with refusal, but I promised myself already, that I would never let go. I grasped her small arm with both hands and heard a cry. A sniffle and a wail emitted out across the stream, bounced back and echoed through my ears.  
_

_"I won't... Let go." I managed to say through gritted teeth.  
_

_"Please." She sniffed and hiccuped. My own tears were uncontrollable. My face was turning red and my arms felt like they were going to fall off.  
_

_I looked right and then left. No one. I shouted the loudest I have ever in my entire life.  
_

_"HELP!" The dangling feet of the girl added more weight each time they moved. I huffed and puffed. I looked right and left again.  
_

_"HELP!" My tears gave no end. My forehead was sticky with sweat and my hands began to sweat.  
_

_"Slip... Slipping..." The small voice below me terrified me.  
_

_"I won't let go." **Right. Left.** No one. I spotted the area I used to get back up to the path. I thought quickly.  
_

_"I'm going to move slowly towards the higher ground. I won't let go. When we get there, try to step up there. I won't let go." I kept repeating the same exact words my mom used to soothe my father in the hospital as she gripped his white and weak hand. **"I won't let go."**  
_

_"Whoever you are, I won't let go. If you go, I'll go." My arms felt weak, but I held on. I slowly and carefully crab-walked towards the edge. Thankfully, this bridge was not too long. _

_"Almost there." I thought. My hands began slipping non-stop now.  
_

_"Just a little more." I strained my face and gripped even tighter.  
_

_D-Don't let go!" The crying girl beneath me cried even harder. _

_**Right foot, left foot... Right foot, left foot. Cry, wail. Right... Foot. **Our crying became like a song. A song so painful that it would bring tears to your very own eyes. This was our song we sang. We continued like a rainbow. We were like thunder. We were colorful like light. We were..._

* * *

_My arms felt lighter. No more weight. The girl's face appeared before mine. We were on the same level now. Her face was emotionless. A quick smile flashed across her face before shock took over. She cried uncontrollably and ran around the railing to me. She knocked me over and hugged me tightly, afraid of everything. She buried her face in my neck and cried. She cried and cried and cried. Her tears were the ones that gave no end. Her body shook violently as her cries controlled her. She begged and cried._

_"Please... P-Please... S-Save... Me... -Hic- I th-thought you would l-let g-go -hic- and I-I-I w-was so so sc-scared." I held her tightly.  
_

_"I won't let go." I repeated these words softly into her ear. My mom's voice boomed inside my head and spoke the same words at the same time. She continued to cry for a few minutes. Then she became like a silent, tense statue in my arms. I made no sound and combed my fingers through her hair. The ends were cold and wet with tears. She sniffed occasionally and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.  
_

_Her body calmed after a couple more minutes. My face relaxed as she pulled her face out of my hair. My hair stuck to her face and I gave a soft giggle. She smiled. This one stayed. She giggled as well. My eyes widened, and before I knew what I was doing, I was holding her again as tightly as she held me. It was my time to cry some more. She was shocked at first, but began to realize what I was feeling and started to rub my back slowly.  
_

___"I-It's not just -hic- what happened." I wailed. Memories of my dad danced in my mind and became a crying ghost. **Hiccup, hiccup, hiccup.**_  


_A dog scampered towards us curiously. It tilted it's head before noticing we were in heaps of suffering. It slowly padded its way to us and crept up in between us. I let go of the girl and cocked my head to one side. I slid my hand across my face, wiping off tears. I wiped off my hand and patted the dog. It laid down and began to roll around desperately to get us to cheer up. Me and the little girl began to giggle.  
_

_"Looks like the dog is trying to cheer us up." She said. I nodded my head and grinned. We stroked the soft belly of the small dog and our hands collided. She looked at me and grasped my hand. She squeezed my hand and lifted it up.  
_

_"This is the hand that saved me. From now on, this will be the hand of my very first bestest friend." She smiled and reached over the dog to give me a giant hug. I willingly gave her a hug back._

_"My name is Shino." She whispered in my ear. I giggled and hugged her tighter.  
_

_"My name is Sawako."  
_

_This was the start of our long lasting friendship that would never end._

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**A/N: So... Did you go "WOAH!" If you didn't that's okay... NO IT ISN'T! No, I'm kidding. It's fine if you didn't. xD  
**

**Hope you guys are enjoying my story! I love writing this! It's so fun and it helps my writing skills.**

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**Shout-out: Thank you Nai Mayonaka Kage for your review this time! **

**Really appreciate any type of support even if it's one word. Critics are welcome, I don't mind having some advice thrown at me. That's what I take critics as. I take them so I can improve. I don't take them and get upset by them. If someone says they don't like my writing, well, they can stop reading and I'll take what they said to mind and IMPROVE! I want to make my readers happy. :D  
**


	5. Under the Bridge

**A/N: Alright! Sorry if that wait was a little longer than expected. After that awesome last chapter (I'm full of myself, excuse me) my writing seemed like crap to me. Everything I wrote was... Completely stupid. Finally, I managed to write something that I'm proud of. :D**

**Hope you guys will enjoy this chapter! READ ON!**

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My legs were weak once we arrived at the bridge. The wind carried me back to that time. The little girl reappeared on the ledge and started to dance with a radiant smile on her face. _I blinked._ She was gone. Shino gave my hand a squeeze and looked at my face.

"I'm sorry." I didn't even know why she was apologizing. _I_ was the one who made her do something she protested to do.

Her face was still speckled with tears when I glanced at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind. Instead, she closed it and continued to guide me forwards. We stepped onto the bridge momentarily before squeezing through metal bars onto a rocky edge.

"Here…" For the hundredth time, Shino hopped down and gave me her hand. I felt like a princess as I took her hand and jumped down as well. Now it was her turn. I held out my hand and she smiled. She gladly took my hand and stepped down. She crushed my fingers with a small pump of her hand before leading me down the rest of the way.

We sat against the wall underneath the bridge. Shino looked at me before speaking.

"You were saying "heh" a lot, right? I know you only do that when you're lying. You were lying, weren't you?" My eyes widened and I nodded my head silently. She reached out and held my cheek in her hand.

"You know lying is bad for you." She caressed my cheek gently while I gazed at her.

"I-I know…" I took her hand off my cheek and laid both our hands on the grass between us. She slowly ran her fingers back through her hair and sighed.

"Do you have any idea why they would approach you? All this time they've been avoiding you and _now_ they decide to come close? Oh, another question. How come you agreed to be their friend?" My face began to deepen in color.

"Well… They asked if I had any feelings for Kazehaya-kun…" She gaped before stopping me.

"Didn't you say that you just admire him?" She cocked her head to one side as she entwined our fingers gradually.

"Yes, I told them I simply admire him." I smiled and she bobbed her head.

"Right, I'm thinking that they didn't want you to have any feelings for him because they like him and you're already too close to him. Maybe you should stay away from him for a while." Her sigh ricocheted off the stone walls of the bridge and I shifted uncomfortably.

_That sigh sounded unusual…_

She interrupted my thoughts.

"Well, you don't have to if you don't want to. I can always stand up for you if they ever come back." She gave me a giant smile, but inside, I felt suspicious. Something tingled in the back of my mind, but without haste I shook suspicion and feelings of dread away.

"After all, you are my friend." The cold air bit my ears. It began to descend into night quickly even though it was only sometime around five. I snuggled up closer to Shino as she dropped her head onto my shoulder. She squeezed my hand; I squeezed back. I emotionally sighed and continued our conversation.

"I think… I agreed to be their friend because I wanted to see how it will turn out." Shino picked her head off my shoulder and stared at me. She blinked.

"What will you do if you get hurt? No, scratch that. What will _I_ do if you get hurt?" I widened my eyes as she brushed hair out of my face. I dropped Shino's hand.

I became like a timid mouse. Silent. I curled my body around my knees and hugged them. My face rested on my knees as I stared at the blank, cement wall of the bridge. I felt Shino's hand become present above my back as she slowly let her hand fall. She lightly rubbed my back and let me think for a bit.

"They might want you to get away from Kazehaya…" I abruptly sat up and looked at Shino.

"No!" I gasped and quickly covered my mouth. Tears began to fall down my face, leaving thin, wet lines. Shino's eyes were wide as I scrambled to pick up my feet and dash up onto the path. I suffocated myself with my hand as the tears continued to stream down my face.

* * *

I ran all the way home and locked myself in my room. I hugged my knees tightly to my chest atop my bed. I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut.

_Why did I yell at Shino?_

My tears became a river flowing down my face as my body shook and trembled. Bit by bit, it became worse. I unraveled myself to lie down on my stomach. My tears infuriated me; agitated me.

_Why? Why, did I yell at her? She's my best friend!_

I calmed down and let my face get smothered by the blankets. I took a breath through the fabric and blew out slowly and leisurely. The blankets heated up my face. It was nice, but soon became stifling. I brought up my head and sat up. _Breathe in. Breathe out._ Cool air circulated inside and calmed me right down like hot chocolate does on a winter day.

My face felt like a mess: covered in tears and sticky. My hair felt like hay and looked even worse. I reluctantly dragged myself over to the bathroom and took a bath.

* * *

I stepped out of the bathroom, in my sweats and ready for dinner. My mother called me down. I headed downstairs and walked into the kitchen. My mother stood beside the dinning room table with a hand on her hip. I knew this wasn't the type of mother I had and like I predicted, her attitude changed suddenly as she came towards me.

"Do you know how worried I was?" Her voice shook as she burst into tears and clung onto me.

"I'm sorry." I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a squeeze. I patted her back before pulling away and looking at her face.

Her face was covered in messy tears. I brought my hand up to use my finger and wipe away a tear that started to glide down her face. I smiled, knowing how worried she was and how much she cared. She fondled my face in her hands and stared into my eyes.

"Have you been crying?" My eyes grew wide. I took her hands off my face and held them down low. I shook my head, but couldn't stop the tears that began to push their way through my eyelids.

"N-No, I wasn't crying..." I sniffed and wiped my nose with my sleeve. My mother clicked her tongue and shook her head in dismay. The tears wouldn't stop and as I trembled and hiccuped my mother took me by the hand and lead me to the living room. She sat down, sitting me beside her. She reached out to brush away the hair that had fallen into my eyes. I turned my head to look at her squarely in the face. Her eyes widened at the sight of my gaze.

"Sawako... Something's terribly wrong, isn't it?" She grasped my hands and squeezed my fingers tightly. I closed my eyes and leaned forwards. My forehead rested lightly on her shoulder while I still childishly clasped her hands like she did to mine.

"Momma, I yelled at Shino." My voice cracked and my body shook with violent tears. My mother's hair lingered beside my face, heating up the air. She gently grazed my hair with her fingertips before lifting my face up with her hands. Her eyes were soft as they stared directly into mine.

"Oh my... In all the years, you've never yelled at her, have you?" She dropped her hands from my face. I shook my head and stood up. I took a deep breath, wiped my tears and forced a smile.

"Momma. Let's eat dinner." The smile didn't last long, but I wanted to try to trick my mother into not worrying so much. I knew... I knew that I'd be able to fix what I had done.

* * *

The morning was misty. I kicked the pebbles that speckled the sidewalk and let my head hang low. The events of yesterday still fogged my mind and caused my head to spin. They repeated themselves over and over, making me relive everything over again. I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all. I thought about what I should do and decided it was best to just honestly and straight-forwardly apologize to Shino.

I entered the main hall and looked around searching for that dark-brown, almost burgundy hair that belonged to Shino. My eyes caught onto something completely different: A tall, blonde-haired woman that looked oddly familiar. She headed into my classroom just as the bell rung. I was confused, but I knew I had no time to waste and proceeded towards the classroom.

I sat down and looked at the board:

"Akimi Gourochou" A voice in sync with my mind read out the name with me.

"I will be your new homeroom teacher now that Zen has to take care of a family business and finally accepted as a useful husband!" She smiled and the class roared with laughter.

"He has always been one of those guys." She shook her head and snickered. My eyes widened as I stared at the woman who appeared first in the infirmary.

"You!" I stood up and pointed. I suddenly realized what I did was repulsive and everyone stared in disgust.

"Haha, yes, it's me! -She smiled- I remember you now. I took care of you." She walked over to me with her heels clicking against the ground and stopped just in front of my desk to lean on my desk with her elbows. Her head rested on her hand and she flashed me her white teeth with a big grin.

"I didn't know you were capable of being a teacher." I covered my mouth quickly and she laughed.

"It's alright, my family was like that too, saying, "How? _You_? Since when? You're smart? Reliable?" I laughed in their faces those years back. I stopped being a teacher and became a school nurse here instead. Now I'm back to square one since a spot opened up and they couldn't possibly be able to find someone in that amount of time." She stood up and walked behind me, she leaned herself on my chair and spoke into my ear.

"How's this "Kazehaya-kun?" She smiled devilishly before sliding off my chair to walk back over to the front of the room. My face burned.

"Enough! Everyone sit in your seats!" She snapped and we all took shock towards it. Everyone was silent and I peeked my eyes towards Kazehaya-kun.

His ears were red as he crookedly laid his head on his hand and stared up at the teacher with, what appeared to be, lustrous eyes. Something gripped my heart and my head began to pinch tightly. I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my temples.

_"You've fallen for Kazehaya."_

Ayane's words bounced inside my skull as I furiously tried to push them out. What I saw of Kazehaya-kun made me want to scream out and tell him to stop looking at her like that.

_Just why are your ears red? What are you thinking? Why are you looking at her and why are you not looking at me like that?_

_Wait._

_"Looking at me like that?" What am I thinking?_

Little did I know that his ears were burning because he felt the embarrassment I felt and that he was sneaking glances at me.

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**A/N: I own the character Akimi Gourochou. (Last name pronounced: Goo-row-chu) If that helps, GREAT!**

**YAY! So it's some progress isn't it? But Sawako doesn't know anything going on it Shota's head... ~Sigh~**

**What will happen next?! I can't wait! =P**

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**Shoutout: Thank you Draco38 for reviewing my story and putting me on alert!**

**Thank you ThetinyMateria for favouriting my story!**


	6. Apologize

**A/N: Sorry for the late update! You guys will know the reason if you read my note at the bottom. Anyways, soooo... What will happen in this chapter? :D**

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I scrambled my way towards Shino's classroom. When I arrived at her classroom, I peered in. People stood scattered around the classroom chatting in small groups and laughing.

"Ex-Excuse me… Is Shino here?" Nobody turned their heads. They treated me like I was invisible. A girl's shoulder bumped into mine as she made her way through the doorway. She paid no attention and carried on.

_Breath in. Breath out. _I tried again, "Excuse me! Is Shino here?" A few people glanced at me before returning to their little groups. I mentally sighed. I wouldn't let them see how upset I was.

_Most of the people I know have the same reaction. I'm used to it now. Or at least, should be._

The best way I could get any progress would be looking by myself. I scanned the room; no sign of her. I retreated from the classroom and headed down one of the halls. I weaved myself between the students in the halls and searched.

"Shino! Shino…" I came out of the school and rounded the corner of the courtyard. I heard a voice and stopped dead in my tracks.

"Please accept my feelings." Kazehaya-kun stood with his back turned away from me, blocking the girl who just spoke. But I knew. I knew that I wouldn't have to see her face. It was Shino.

My heart tightened as I felt the bitter-sweetness of betrayal and dishonesty. I never even knew or had thought that Shino might like Kazehaya-kun. When I heard her sigh the other day, I knew it sounded strange. Maybe it was because she was relieved that I only had feelings of admiration.

She shifted from one foot to the other. I caught a glimpse of her hair flowing out from the outline of Kazehaya-kun. She's a shy person, though, she has a big mouth to those she's close to. She's cute and like a small puppy. It would be unusual for any guy _not_ to have feelings for her at one point. She's been one of the top students, along with me ever since I could remember. She's almost one of those perfect people that I envy, but I put that aside since she's the friend I never want to lose.

_Kazehaya-kun… She's perfect for you; unlike me._

_Yes, unlike me._

I realized that I love Kazehaya-kun. _"Admiration turns into love"._ Sensei was right.

My face was blank as I stared at Kazehaya-kun's back. My head hurt and my heart was pumping furiously against my chest.

"I can't return those feelings." My heart stopped and felt like it started to beat in a different direction.

"Ah… I bet you have your eyes on someone else, right?" I saw Shino step aside and scratch the back of her head.

"Maybe…" I gasped and hid quickly around the corner of the building. I covered my mouth and stared straight ahead at the trees in my view.

"_Maybe…"_

The pulse of my heart quickened and I thought of ridiculous things, but then I remember the way he looked at Sensei yesterday and squeezed my eyes shut.

_No, please no. I don't like that idea._

I felt like crying. I felt like something just tore my heart out and stomped on it. I felt like a deflated balloon. I felt… Inferior.

_Well, of course he would like someone... I haven't thought about __**who**__ it would be though. Why did I ever think it would be me? How selfish._

A small smile leaped across my face while I slowly padded down my bangs and stopped. Tears rode down my cheeks and landed on the ground; dissolving and leaving marks like chalk. I held my head down low and became like a rag-doll. I staggered back and my back hit against the wall. I slid down and collapsed to the ground in a split second. Inside, I wailed. I knew I couldn't cry out loud because then I would be discovered. I had to keep my presence a secret and under control.

I looked up into the eyes of the sky. The clouds shimmered brightly and wavered across the sky in their designated path. They reminded me of myself. All huddled in a group and going along with everyone else. I had to keep myself from standing out, but I couldn't control it. I was the cloud that covered the sun. Everyone looked at me maddened, saying, _"Why you and why are you here?"_

The silence was broken by Shino.

"I knew I wouldn't stand a chance, I'm just like all the other girls…"

_What are you saying? You're defiantly different from the rest. You're the only one who's seen me for who I am from the beginning. You have never turned against me and you're also a person to be envious of... _

_The thing about Kazehaya-kun, you don't know that I like him now, do you?_

She continued, "But… I wanted to tell you because I needed to get over this unrequited love. I needed to do this for other personal reasons too, I'm sorry. Other than seeing your reaction and getting over this, I needed something else. I... -She hesitated- Think I might have hurt one of my friends. I said something about you that was too much." I thought about what she said for a moment and something struck my mind.

_She can't be talking about me, right? Wait, the reason for this happening is because I was so sensitive yesterday and yelled at Shino. Was I sensitive because it involved Kazehaya-kun? Yes that's it. She told me that they might want me to get away from Kazehaya-kun. I simply cannot leave Kazehaya-kun's side. I don't want to. Impossible._

I wiped my tears away and fled from my place towards the classroom before the bell rang. It was obvious that it was better to talk to her about it after school.

* * *

The teacher dismissed us and I hurriedly packed my things away.

_No time to waste._

I scurried out of the room and headed to Shino's classroom. I approached the door and glanced inside. Shino sat at her desk and collectively shuffled her papers together. She perhaps looked normal in the eyes of an outsider, but to me, I could tell that she was in pain. Her eyes seemed to cry out to be hugged tightly and cared for. She slid the papers into her bag, grabbed it and rose from her seat.

"Shino!" People stopped to glare at me and I felt my face heat up. Shino dropped her bag and stared at me with wide eyes. I quickly crept closer to Shino and grabbed her hand. I snatched up her bag and pulled her along with me out of the classroom. I dashed out of the school with Shino's hand in my grasp and headed towards a park. I kept my mouth shut while Shino kept pestering my thoughts with her questions on where we were going and why I was doing this. I just shook my head, bit my lip and squeezed her hand.

We arrived at the park and I led her behind some trees. I collapsed, out of breath onto my knees. I dragged her down with me, making her fall to the ground.

"Sawako! What is the meaning of this!?" She shouted at me with the most sincerity of desperation I have ever heard. I stared into her eyes and said plainly,

"I'm sorry." She gaped at me with widened eyes. She confessed a smile and burst out laughing.

"You got me all worked up like that for an apology? What did you do to make you worry so much to go as far as this?" She leaned back on the palms of her hands and swung her head back. I was stunned watching her laugh in a different dimensional time that I envisioned. Air escaped out of her mouth and she blew the hair out of her face.

"I yelled at you the other day." I fiddled with my fingers in my lap. She brought down her head and fixed her gaze upon mine.

"You must have had a reason, so why would I be unable to forgive you. A _lot_ more is what it takes to break this friendship. You know I could never be mad at you and just leave." She tilted her head and gave me a smile.

"Can I ask you a question?" She nodded her head. A yawn came out of her mouth as she lay down with her face to the sky.

"Why did you want to stop your feelings for Kazehaya-kun when it hurt so much?" I saw her body tense as the world around us seemed to disappear. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it and began to think a little deeper. Her hands were on her stomach with her fingers interlocked. She tapped a finger and breathed slowly.

"I didn't tell you I liked Kazehaya, did I? No, I kept it from you..." She closed her eyes. Wind blew through the trees making the world come alive again. The sun shined on my back; I felt a wonderful sensation as I stared down at Shino's relaxed manner.

"I... Wanted to get over that feeling so that I could be honest with you, I guess. I knew I wouldn't be able to tell you, I don't know why." I cocked my head to one side and replied,

"We don't usually convey our feelings." She sat up and looked at me. She crossed her arms and thought about it.

"You're right." She nodded her head and smiled. I smiled back and giggled.

"Shino, you're my best friend, you've always been. I love you so much!" I threw myself onto her and hugged her tightly. She was startled at first, but then softened her touch and enveloped me with her warm arms.

"I know it pained you to stop your feelings, so if you want to cry, go ahead." Shino's head felt heavy on my shoulder and then she began to shake. She howled sorrowful cries and clung to me. I smoothed down her hair and smiled over her shoulder.

_There, now you've conveyed a feeling._

* * *

The next day was like any other.

"Ayane!" I smiled and motioned for her to come. She looked over at Chizuru and nodded off in my direction. Chizuru grinned, walked over to us and swung her arms around ours. We walked out of the classroom and past Shino's. I stopped and told them to wait for a moment. I searched around the classroom for Shino. My eyes spotted her and I called out.

"Shino!" She looked over at me and smiled. I indicated a thumb to myself and pointed behind me. She understood shaking her head enthusiastically.

I became used to the glares that kept their gazes on me. It didn't bother me so much anymore knowing that they'll never know how kind I am and what great friends I have. As I walked out of the classroom with Shino by my side the voices of the other students rebounded off the walls and tunneled through my ears. We approached Ayane and Chizuru; Ayane gave me a bright smile, showing me her teeth.

"There you are." Chizuru slid over to me and grasped my hand.

"C'mon let's get out of here." She chuckled and squeezed my hand. I grabbed onto Shino's hand and we continued our way to the courtyard for lunch.

* * *

**A/N: Oh... My... God... It's been FOREVER! Thing is, I've been wanting to update my story, but the last little bit was annoying me a lot so I just had to put up with it and finish it. I was having trouble with it because I had no idea what to do! But, as you can see, I got it done! :D**

**Thank you for all the views, it's really been pushing me along knowing that people actually like my story enough to keep reading. I've been trying my very hardest to keep this story going and I promise you guys, I'm going to finish it for sure. I can't wait to write the next chapters!  
**


	7. River

**A/N: So if you didn't read my "TO READERS" chapter before I deleted it, it was talking about whether I should change up my form of writing. Before you get too confused, I'll just say it now. I'M WRITING IN THIRD PERSON! :D Hopefully, you get what I mean.**

**ANYWAYS, READ! Please R&R ^^  
**

* * *

Sawako smiled down at the little girl with ghostly, white hands grasping hers.

"Onee-san, let's walk across the street now." The transparent girl giggled and pulled Sawako's hand.

"Wait, Yuki, we've got to look both ways!" The little girl didn't stop as she took a leap into the street. Sawako's hand disappeared from the girl's fingertips.

Sawako heard a roar, a screech and felt the wind knocked out of her before she felt nothing.

Blood painted the road and the front of the truck that had hit Sawako. The girl shivered and then smiled.

"Onee-san, I thought you said to look both ways." She bent down and gracefully ran a finger along the cold and empty shell of what was left of Sawako. She pressed her hand to the bundle of blood-stained clothes and extracted another hand from the body. The ghost of Sawako slowly rose out from the body and stood up; she held on tightly to the small girl's hand.

"Yuki…" Sawako smiled and hugged her snugly.

"Sawako, she was already dead!" Shino's thoughts broke the image that raced through her mind.

This was not reality.

* * *

Shino squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples.

_"Sawako, what if I told you I'm not normal?"_ She thought.

The image of Sawako's lifeless body was etched inside Shino's skull. She shook her head, trying to get it out.

_"Is this really your future? Are you really that much of an airhead? I need to help you."_ The sound of the train's wheels rattling along the railroad brought Shino back to the outside world.

Her thoughts closed up like a box as she stood and brushed down her skirt. She ran her fingers through her hair before picking up the pace to enter through the train's doors.

* * *

Sawako played with her fingers as she sat in the classroom waiting for Shino to arrive. Goosebumps rose on her arms, caused by the bite of the air. She wrapped her arms around herself and gripped them firmly with her fingers. The door slid open; she directed her gaze over to the door and stood up seeing it was Shino.

"Shino, there you are!" She ran over towards Shino and threw herself on top of her. Shino laughed as she enveloped Sawako with her arms.

"Mornin', how long were you waiting?" Sawako pulled away from Shino and looked up at her.

"Not long, but I was getting cold." She smiled. Shino laughed and smoothed down Sawako's hair. The image of Sawako on the pavement returned and she closed her eyes tightly.

"Are you okay?" Sawako's voice wavered as she reached up to pat Shino on the back.

"Oh yeah, I'm okay." She unconsciously pushed Sawako's hand away just as Shouta appeared behind her.

"Ah! Ka-Kazehaya-kun! G-Good morning," Sawako shyly held her head down; he waved a hand to her.

"G'morning!" He laughed as Shino eyed him.

"Oh, Shino, how have you been?" He cocked his head to one side and smiled.

"Been okay, you?" Shino stepped beside Sawako and grabbed her hand.

"I've been good, thanks. What about you, Kuronuma?" He averted his eyes from Shino's cold gaze and looked over at Sawako.

"Eh? –She seemed flustered- I-I'm okay…" She trailed off getting quieter. Shouta chuckled and swung past them. He strode to his desk and hung his bag on the hook that the desk provided.

"Almost the end of April…" He sighed as he turned to lean back on his desk. Sawako's curiosity got the better of her as she let go of Shino's hand and scuttled over towards Shouta. She stood on her tip-toes and stared into his face.

"What's wrong?" _Thump. Thump. Thump. _Sawako's heart-rate quickened and she felt her face heat up.

"Ah, sorry!" She stepped back, bumping her back into another desk. Shino peered over at Shouta noticing his ears that were bright red.

"Eh? It's okay! Err…" He brought his hand up to cover his face that began to deepen in color. Shino took notice of it and turned her head away.

Shino spoke, "Your birthday is on May fifteenth, isn't it?" Shino kept her gaze from wandering over to look at Shouta and instead, she looked out the door pondering on whether she should just leave.

"Uh, yeah…" Sawako's eyes glazed over with excitement and Shino looked over, knowing what was about to happen.

Without thinking, Sawako gripped Shouta's hand and gazed into his eyes.

"We should celebrate!" She said enthusiastically. Her face flushed a rosy red while her eyes gave off the sense of a teddy bear: Cute and glossy. And defiantly one you couldn't ignore. Shouta's expression changed to a flustered one as he pulled his hand away.

Shino shook her head. _"I knew you would say that."_

"No." She said bluntly. Sawako looked over at her with pleading eyes.

"_It won't work on me."_ She thought sternly.

"Why?" Sawako's eyes started to well up and Shino became confused.

"Sawako, why are you crying?" She hurried over to Sawako and placed a hand on her back.

"I just wanted to celebrate one of my first friend's birthday and you reject it so coldly." She sniffed as Shino's eyes grew wide. Sawako hunched over and held her curled fingers close to her face as she cried.

"_Wha?! She's crying because she just wants to celebrate her "first friend's birthday?" What has actually happened to her friendships? Surely I'm not one of her first friends, she must have more."_ Shouta's ears burned even more as he turned to look out the window and not at Sawako's crying body.

"Gah, Sawako!" Shino pulled Sawako's fingers from her face and commanded her to look into her eyes.

"Look, fine, we'll celebrate his birthday. Just don't cry, okay?" Sawako immediately stopped crying and stared at her.

Shouta looked over at Sawako who was speechless and a smile made its way onto his face.

"I'll look forward to planning your birthday!" Sawako turned her face towards Shouta and smiled. He was taken aback and a red burn became visible on his cheeks.

He quickly replied, "Un!"

"_She smiled."_ He thought astonishingly.

Sawako clapped happily as more tears began to fall down her face. Shouta gaped at her until Shino explained, "She's just really happy." Sawako nodded breathlessly and held her face in her hands. His expression softened and he smiled as he saw Shino hug Sawako tightly.

"You're a really good friend, Shino." Shino looked over at Shouta unexpectedly and blushed heatedly.

"I am, and you've missed your big chance!" Shouta chuckled and nodded his head.

"You may be right, but…" His eyes wandered onto Sawako and Shino eyed him suspiciously.

* * *

Another pair of eyes peered in at the threesome. She rubbed the back of her hand and bit her lip. She noticed Shouta's eyes that were glued to Sawako and began rubbing harder. She ran her fingers through her hair and whipped her head away.

_"I will not feel defeated. Not yet."_ She angrily marched through the school towards the locker room.

"Hanaki! Natsuki…" She grabbed their hands and made them look at her.

"We've got to tell her." Her eyes bore into theirs and they looked scared.

Natsuki paused before asking, "Who?"

"Sadako of course!" She ground her teeth and threw their hands down. She stomped her foot, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Why did she have to appear?" Hanaki gently patted her back and said, "Kurumi, you'll defiantly show her."

* * *

After school among the lockers in the locker room, Shouta appeared unexpectedly by Sawako's side.

"Kuronuma!" He jogged up to her and patted her back. The slight touch of Shouta's hand lit the area on her back on fire. Her face burned a light glow of red.

"Ah! Ka-Kazehaya-kun!" She nervously fondled her bag with both hands.

"What's wrong?" Sawako asked. She pushed her hair behind her ear and shyly hid her face with the other side of it.

"Nothing, I was wondering if I could accompany you home." His ears softly grew red as he thought, _"I want to know why I'm one of your first friends…"_ He looked over at her while she was fidgeting with the buckle on her bag.

"Eh?" She wasn't paying much attention and her eyes widened as she looked up to meet Shouta's gaze.

"S-Sure…" She returned to fidget with her bag as they walked out from the locker room.

They walked silently along the roadside until the soft roar from the river made itself present.

"How about we take a rest at the riverbank before we part?" Shouta asked as he glanced at Sawako. She nodded mutely as she stared down at her feet.

They walked over onto the grass, folding it down in a path before it slowly rose into an erect form again. The smell of dirt mixed in with water filled the air; a smell that punctuated the nostrils as a strong, stale odor. The river continued to rumble its song into the breeze that was stirring the air.

Shouta's bag hit the ground with a soft thud before he stretched out his legs and sat down. Sawako crouched down and placed her bag on the ground beside him. He turned his head to smile at her; she felt her heart thump against her chest, like butterflies wanting to escape as her face began to heat to a mild flare.

She transferred her weight to one side and flopped down onto the side of her hip; she held herself up with the palm of her hand. She looked over at Shouta who was gazing into the distance and noticed a hair out of place. She reached out to fix it just as Shouta looked at her. She quickly pulled her hand into her chest and her heart began to pump furiously.

"Ah, sorry, there was a strand of hair…" She trailed off pointing towards her own forehead. He chuckled and flattened down his hair.

He cocked his head to one side and asked, "Fixed?" She nodded and giggled. She turned her head to look out across the river as Shouta kept his gaze on her. His mouth was agape while he stared amazingly.

"Why don't you smile more often?" Sawako was caught off guard and whipped her head around to stare at him wide eyed.

"Eh? No, I mean… Well…" Her voice shrunk as he continued to stare at her.

"Er, sorry, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to." He knew that his gaze was uncomfortable so he returned his eyes towards the river.

"Actually…" He heard her cough once before she continued, "It's a long story."

"What do you mean?" His eyes repeated, darting to her for a moment and back to the river.

"Ah… -She hesitated before pursuing her sentence- It all started back in Middle School." She switched positions, swooping her leg up and resting her head on her knee with her hands clasped underneath.

"Shino… Made a mistake one day… She called me "Sadako" and that's where all the rumors started. Up until now, I'm still getting teased for it, as you know…" He noticed that her voice sounded sorrowful.

"_That was a mistake…"_ He thought and suddenly realized that she said Shino.

"If Shino was the one to start everything, why didn't you get angry and speak up? I don't mean that you seem to be the type to get angry but…"

She cut him off, "I saved Shino when we were young, I don't think it's wise to talk about that, but I saved her and now she said she would save me, an eye for an eye." Sawako's eyes seemed relaxed as though she trusted Shino with her life.

He understood this much, but why didn't she smile more often? She interrupted his thoughts and continued,

"Me and Shino don't need anyone else. We're fine on our own, but if Shino was to leave me, I wouldn't have anyone else. That's why we're so close. And that's why I don't need to smile often. I only smile to those who are worth to smile for. I wouldn't ever think of smiling to show I'm strong, because I'm not, I need other people's help and I just hope to make more friends that I can depend on." Shouta finally understood.

_"So I'm one of her "first friends" because she just has always relied on Shino? Her life is so much more complicated than I thought."_ Sawako surveyed Shouta's expression and gasped.

"Sorry, I spoke too much!" Her face flamed as Shouta stared at her in disbelief.

"No, that's not true at all! You just spoke your mind, that's all." He offered a gentle smile and she replied back with a small smile that slightly curved upwards. He laughed and closed his eyes.

"_So I'm worth a smile."_ He couldn't help the smile that stayed on his face as Sawako looked at him confusedly.

"What is it?" He just shook his head and continued to laugh. Sawako was perplexed, but finally gave up and began laughing for no apparent reason.

* * *

**A/N: So... I'm pretty sure it might be a little easier for me to write in third person... Hope you guys enjoyed this last chapter! Updates will be put up a.s.a.p so that you don't have to wait so long. x)  
**

**Please continue to read and put me on alert if you want to stay updated!**

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**Edit: I own the characters Hanaki Sorako and Natsuki Arataki!  
**

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**Shout-out: Thank you Chokeria for putting me on alert and favouriting my story! (I know "favouriting" isn't a word. Haha! :D)  
**


	8. Her Room

**A/N: Hello! This chapter was really easy for me to write and I had quite a bit of fun writing it! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as you did the others...**

**READ!  
**

* * *

It was the weekend.

In the morning, Sawako didn't feel like getting out of bed or doing anything all day for that matter. She let the blankets engulf her in warmth and pleasure. She felt drunk with ease and opened her eyes for the first time that morning. She blinked. The sun shone through the window and landed delicately on her forehead. A soft throb penetrated her mind like a careful hand on a newborn. She sat up, bringing her knees up to her chest and grasping her toes with her fingers. She gave into the weight of her head, letting it drop onto her knees.

"Sawako, breakfast is ready!" The exclamation reminded Sawako that her stomach did indeed, feel quite empty.

She left her room to go downstairs into the kitchen. Her mother gently slid a plate onto the table and looked up with a beaming smile on her face.

"Good morning, dear." Sawako stood, watching her mother travel to the other side of the table to place another plate on it.

She pulled the chair out and sat down. She looked over at Sawako before looking to the plate on the table she had set for her. She gracefully closed her eyes and whispered some words.

"Ittadakimasu." She reopened her eyes and looked down at the food in front of her. Sawako unconsciously wandered over to her side of the table to sit down as her mother began to eat.

She sat down; her shoulders hit the back of the chair and her feet were planted firmly on the ground. She picked up her chopsticks and clapped her hands together quietly, bowing her head and closing her eyes, just as her mother did.

"Ittadakimasu…" She trailed off, picking up a piece egg.

"Reconciled with Shino?" Sawako stopped her hand midway to her mouth and stared at her mother who was pleasantly resting her elbows on the table and interlocking her fingers. Her mother gave her a serious gaze while she waited for a reply.

Sawako shyly nodded before feeding herself the piece of egg. Her mother smiled and returned to her meal, but not before asking another question.

"Do you know the reason why you yelled at her?" Sawako's hand trembled slightly as she brought another piece of food towards her mouth. She took her time chewing and swallowing while she came up with an answer.

"Oh, yes I do, but is it alright if I don't talk about it?" Sawako held her head down and looked at the food that began to sicken her stomach. She didn't want to look at her mother this very instant and it was more polite to look at her food than elsewhere.

"Yes, that's fine dear." Sawako brought her gaze up towards her mother realizing the calming tone in her voice. Sawako's cheeks began to redden as her stomach released its tension and she began to continue eating.

The last bit of food hit her tongue just as the doorbell rang. Sawako immediately dropped her chopsticks and ran to the door.

"_Who is it?!"_ She thought.

She opened the door to smiling faces.

* * *

"Sawako!" Chizuru and Ayane stood in the doorway with bright smiles on their faces. Sawako was shocked speechless and stared bewildered at them.

Chizuru was dressed in a graphic tee with jeans to match. Ayane stunned Sawako with her makeup that was added just enough to bring out her good features, that being her lips and her eyes. Her blouse covered her arms and was buttoned once at the top. A burgundy shirt lay underneath while she wore plain jeans. Sawako stood in her pajamas and blushed madly.

"What are you guys doing here?!" She quickly tried to close the door.

Ayane and Chizuru frantically refused to let her close the door on them and pushed with all their might. Sawako gave up and shuffled her way to the side to let them in.

"Because we felt like it." Ayane smirked and Chizuru nudged her with her elbow.

"She doesn't mean that, actually… We wanted to see you!" Sawako's cheeks burned even brighter as a smile came across Chizuru's face.

"Eh? But you saw me yesterday at school!" They both slipped off their shoes and replaced them with the spare slippers Sawako had for them at the door. Sawako's mother curiously peered over at them from the kitchen and gasped. She rushed over to them and grasped their hands.

"Are you Sawako's friends? Oh my, I must prepare some tea. This is so unexpected!" She laughed happily and scurried off back towards the kitchen. Clanging echoed out from the kitchen as Sawako's mother prepared them tea.

Chizuru and Ayane stood motionless as their positions remained the same from when Sawako's mother shook their hands. They blinked before bursting out with laughter. Sawako took a step back with her eyes wide.

"I never knew we would get this much of a surprise." They both grinned with liking toward Sawako's direction and she felt her ears warm up.

"You-You guys… I haven't heard an answer about why you came here even though you saw me yesterday…" She squirmed, playing with her fingers and timidly looked away from them.

"Can't some friends show up at another friend's house and have some fun?" Chizuru stepped in a foot and wrapped an arm around Sawako's shoulders. Ayane took the door from behind her and smoothly stepped back enough to close it. _Click._ Sawako stood like a statue while Ayane advanced and draped her arms around Sawako's neck, giving her a giant hug. Sawako relaxed and shook their arms off of her. The pads of her thumbs ran cross their fingernails as she grasp onto their hands just by the fingertips. She stepped backwards slowly and led them to the staircase.

"Let's go up to my room." She smiled and let go of their hands before spinning around and dashing up the stairs. She stopped halfway and called down to her mother.

"Momma, we'll be upstairs." Her mother called a response of "okay" and they continued up to her room.

Sawako bashfully and rather slowly, pushed her door open. Ayane lost patience and flung the door open to reveal a masterpiece of a sun-painted room.

"Wow…" They were aghast to how much sun her room received. They stared with wondrous looks on their at all the patches of sunlight displayed around the room. Sawako closed the door behind them as Chizuru and Ayane began to walk to the center of the room where a table sat. As they walked, they cast shadows onto the walls making them look as though they were alive.

Sawako knelt down around the table and patted the ground beside her, "Sit."

"Un!" Chizuru nodded her head while Ayane gave a small grin and they both sat down.

Chizuru sat beside Sawako and leaned back onto her dresser. She folded her legs together and crossed her arms. She looked around the room once more and said, "You'd think your room would have some influence on your appearance." Sawako widened her eyes and glanced over at Chizuru.

"Wha? What do you mean?" Her cheeks flushed and she fiddled with her hands in her lap.

"Well, think about it. Your room is so sunny that you might think it would make you a really bright and happy person… Not saying that you aren't, it's just… You always seem so gloomy around other people, other than your friends. –She scratched the back of her head and laughed- I know from what I have in my room it reflects me, a _lot_." Her face warmed with a bright red.

Ayane studied Sawako's expression and joined in, "Yeah, I think it's true. I can be a cute person and I have many cute things in my room… I know I can also be a bit mature…" She trailed off and looked over at the window. She picked her fingernail, causing a small _click_ echo into the air, but then resumed, "So that's why I have a lot of things like makeup and novels scattered all over the place." She sighed to let out some air from her lungs and then rested her elbow on the table, setting her head on her hand.

Sawako looked from Chizuru to Ayane.

"_They're so cool!"_ She felt her face heat up and spoke out, "Ah! Umm… Well you ought to know that I try my best to please others around me." They both looked over at Sawako and stared for a moment.

"Yep, we can tell! But it doesn't work out most of the time which causes your image to fade to that dark one, right?" Chizuru chuckled and cocked her head to one side to look at Sawako. They saw her nodding quietly before they heard a knock at the door.

"Sawako, I've got the tea." Sawako's mother called from outside.

"Momma, you can open the door!" Sawako stood up and approached the door quickly.

Her mother opened the door; a middle-aged woman, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans with a black high-bun attached to her head stood in the doorway holding a tray of teacups and a teapot. She tilted her head to the side and smiled joyfully.

"Here you go, for you and your friends!" She ushered the tray forward into Sawako's hands as she took it willingly.

"Thank you." Sawako smiled just like her mother.

"Eh, Okaa-san…" Chizuru began; Sawako's mother cut her off.

"Call me Chimu." She smiled again.

"Ah, Chimu, you smile just like your daughter. Or I should say, Sawako smiles just like you" She said, making Chimu blush. Chizuru chuckled and Ayane joined in with a snicker.

Chimu covered her mouth with her hand and laughed inside her mouth.

"Well, I better leave you girls alone." She stepped back, pulling the door with her and closed it.

Sawako started walking towards them again as Chizuru shifted her position to sit onto her knees. Ayane yawned and sat up straight with her hands in her lap.

"Here." Sawako slid the tray on the table, distributed the cups and picked up the teapot.

She swirled it around gently before tipping it to fill Ayane's cup. The green liquid twirled up against the side of the cup; steam escaped from it and rose out leisurely.

"Thanks." She brought it up to her mouth to take a sip. Before sipping, she blew gently along the surface of the tea making it ripple within the cup.

Sawako filled the cup in front of Chizuru and giggled.

"Here we go." Lastly, she filled her own.

She put the tray to one side and knelt down, once again at the table. Ayane had already drank a quarter of her tea and decided to set it aside. Chizuru gulped down a mouthful and set hers down as well. Sawako carefully picked up her cup and closed her eyes. She blew, as if caressing the tea with her breath and took a small sip by tipping the cup slightly.

"You look beautiful." Sawako was shocked and immediately placed her cup on the table while staring at Ayane.

"Wha? Why are you saying that so suddenly?" Sawako's cheeks burned a crimson red as she spoke.

"Well, it's true." Ayane smirked and looked over at Chizuru, "Don't you agree?" Chizuru nervously turned to glance at Sawako and noticed her expression: Her eyes were big and round and her mouth was opened slightly as she stared at Chizuru.

"Hey, what do I have to do with this?" She excitedly waved her hands in front of her while Ayane laughed.

"Guys, you crack me up." She held her stomach as her laugh reverberated throughout the room. She swung her head back and continued to laugh. Chizuru and Sawako stared at her agape and began to giggle. Tears were formed in the corner of Ayane's eyes and Chizuru slapped the floor repeatedly. Sawako held her stomach and jerked with laughter. Their laugh became a roar as the moment passed and soon they were coughing from the scratches inside their throats that they got from laughing so hard.

"Ah, I don't even know why that was so funny…" Ayane held her head in her hand and shook her head.

"Me neither." Chizuru grinned and looked over at Sawako. Her face was red with a smile glued on.

"You… -She took a second to calm down and breath- Guys are weird!" While Sawako said this, Ayane was taking a sip of her tea and managed to spurt it all over her face.

"Gah! Look what you made me do!" Ayane's voice sounded angry and Sawako was taken aback. She brought her hands by her chest and stared at Ayane, frightened.

"Hey, now." Chizuru made a handkerchief ready and passed it to Ayane. She took it and wiped her face slowly. She took the unfolded napkin and held it up in front of her face. The napkin covered her whole face and as she lowered it she frowned, but then she raised it and smiled. It was a sly smile and soon she began laughing again.

Sawako's shoulders relaxed and she gave her a big smile. She giggled; her cheeks were warm with a red glow.

"Hmm… That reminds me of the expression you have with Kazehaya." Ayane said, Sawako froze.

* * *

**A/N: Ohhhh... Cliffhanger! :D  
**

**Hope you guys don't mind that so much... =P Well, you won't have to wait long, I'm really excited to write the next chapter and so I'll be writing it all day! I might make the chapter long, so watch out. Anyways, please review if you can. If you can't or don't want to, it's fine, as long as you enjoyed reading my story so far!**

**~Ja nai**

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**Edit: "Chimu Kuronuma" is my version of Sawako's mother since she didn't really appear in the anime or manga all that much... I changed her a lot so I kind of "own" her, but not really. So just in case, disclaimer! **

**Anyways, pronunciation: "Chee-moo" and then you know the rest. Hope that helps.  
**


	9. Cellphone

**A/N: HEY!**

**Sorry that this update took so long... This was the fastest I could do because I had to take care of a dog and dog-sit it.  
Well, I hope to make up for it, you'll enjoy this chapter I've written! R&R ^^  
**

* * *

Distressed and excited, Sawako quickly thought of an escape.

"Ah, you know, I still haven't taken a shower. Would it be alright…" She looked back and forth between Chizuru and Ayane desperately.

"It's fine." Ayane nodded solemnly; Chizuru looked at her with widened eyes.

"Err…" Chizuru was cut off by Sawako who quickly stood up and busily collected her clothes. She headed out of the room and through the closed door of the bedroom, they heard the bathroom door shut loudly.

"Ayane, what was that? You freaked her out." Chizuru stated.

"I know, but she must have come up with something already." Ayane yawned and turned her body to lie down on her back. She put her hands behind her head and crossed a leg over the other.

"Ayane…" Chizuru said exasperatedly; Ayane shrugged it off hastily.

"If she's ready to tell us what she feels, I won't push her to do so. Would you?" Ayane turned her head and stared at Chizuru's knees from under the table.

She saw her shift her weight onto her side and bring her leg up while letting her other leg cross under the other before replying, "No, I guess I wouldn't." She sighed.

Ayane returned her vision to the ceiling and stared up at it.

"Her room _is_ really bright." Chizuru looked around one more time and nodded.

"Un." Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Ayane sat up, spinning herself around to look at the door while Chizuru focused her attention towards the door.

* * *

It opened slowly, presenting Chimu in the doorway.

"I heard Sawako head into the bathroom and thought you guys would get bored waiting for her. I brought some pictures to show you." She shuffled her way towards them and knelt down in front of Ayane. Chizuru curiously crept over on her knees and formed a small triangle with them.

Chimu squared the photos in her hands and slid the top one off, "This is the earliest picture." Chimu blushed as though it was herself in the photo. Ayane chuckled, along with Chizuru, who found the picture amusing.

Sawako was shown as a small toddler with straight, black hair down to her shoulders. Her white, porcelain skin was contrasting compared to it. She wore a plain, white dress with lace at the ends while she stood, grasping a large, manly hand. A huge grin was plastered on her face as her eyes directed upwards to whoever was holding her hand.

"Who's holding her hand?" Chizuru asked impertinently.

"Oh, that's her father." There was a look of pain that was exposed in her eyes, but Chimu maintained the smile preformed.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen or heard of Sawako's dad." Ayane pondered, while tilting her head to one side.

"Kazue died from cancer a long time ago." She flipped to the next photo, which showed a full view of Kazue along with another girl they hadn't seen before.

"Gah, I thought I burnt all of these." She immediately switched to the next photo.

"Wait, who was that?" Ayane said, putting her hand on top of Chimu's hands covering the next photo.

Chimu sighed, replying hesitantly, "Yuki, my first-born." Chizuru and Ayane's eyes widened.

"She… Died in a car accident." Chimu brought the photos into her lap and waited for their reply.

They simply softened their eyes to those of sympathy and sank further into their position they sat in.

"No need to show any form of empathy, it happened long ago." She cleared her throat and showed them the next photo.

A photo of Sawako with another strange little girl was shown to them. The little girl had dark-brown hair and clean, white skin, just like Sawako, but slightly lighter. The black dress she wore billowed out around her as she sat on the ground beside Sawako who was smiling at her happily.

"That looks a lot like Shino!" Chizuru said excitedly; Ayane face palmed.

"It is." Chimu confirmed.

"I forgot that it's possible… –She laughed- I didn't know they knew each other from such time." Chizuru bowed her head apologetically.

Chimu held up a hand and replied, "It's alright. Shino and Sawako have been friends from when they were seven years old." Chizuru looked over at Ayane who was nodding her head.

"Oh, I see." Chizuru quieted down and Chimu flipped to the next photo.

"Here's Sawako in Elementary School." She pointed out the backpack she had on her back.

Sawako had her head turned towards the camera and smiled brightly. She was dressed in a sailor suit with a navy-blue plaited skirt and a white blouse with suspenders. She wore a navy-blue sailor cap and with a brightly colored backpack, it seemed out of place. Ayane and Chizuru smiled and chuckled.

Ayane wondered about the uniform and asked, "Was Sawako in a private school?"

Chimu nodded and their eyes widened.

"She's so lucky…" Chizuru pouted and Chimu laughed.

"I guess she is, but we didn't have enough money to put her into a private High School. She _did_ go to a private Middle School with Shino…" She trailed off hearing the door open.

* * *

Sawako stood in the doorway with her wet hair wrapped in a towel. She noticed Chimu sitting on the floor with Ayane and Chizuru crowded around her and wondered what was going on. They all looked over at her and smiled.

"Momma, what are you doing?" She curiously walked over to them and looked at what was in her hands.

"Are those photos of me?" A flustered blush covered her face as she snatched the photos away and held them up to her chest.

"Well, I guess it's time for me to go." Chimu stood up and took the photos away from Sawako. She walked out the door and closed it silently behind her.

Sawako covered her face her hands, embarrassed and opened her fingers to peek at Chizuru and Ayane who were watching her questionably.

"What's wrong?" Ayane asked and cocked her head to one side.

"It's embarrassing…" She crouched down and continued to cover her face.

Chizuru crawled over to Sawako and took her hands down from her face and spoke to her gently, "You were so pretty!" Sawako couldn't help the smile that pushed through her stupefied expression.

"Well, I can't help it, now that you've seen them." Chizuru smiled and let go of her hands.

She stood up and slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. Ayane stood up as well and walked over to stand beside Chizuru. She folded her arms across her chest and smiled down at Sawako. Sawako stood up speedily, managing to make her towel loosen and fall onto the floor.

She giggled before saying, "Oops." They all laughed cheerfully.

"Look at it this way. We've learned new things about you." Ayane said.

Sawako bent down and picked up the towel.

"Un!" She nodded her head, holding the towel near her chest. She quickly wiped her hair thoroughly one more time before walking over to her hamper and throwing the towel in.

"Do you want to go out for ramen?" Chizuru asked eagerly.

Sawako was at her dresser, which was attached to a mirror while she brushed her hair. She looked at Chizuru through the mirror and tilted her head.

"I just had breakfast not too long ago." Chizuru's shoulders slumped as Ayane patted her back.

"It's okay, maybe we can go out for some cake? Would that be alright?" After finishing brushing her hair, Sawako turned to face them and nodded devotedly.

She rushed over to the table beside her bed and picked up her coin-purse.

"That's a cute coin-purse." Ayane said as she walked over to her.

Sawako held it up and looked at it more closely.

"Ah, it is!" She smiled, held it tightly to her chest and closed her eyes. Ayane and Chizuru chuckled before leading her out of her room and closing her door behind them.

"Is it okay if we get you to treat us this time 'round?" Chizuru asked as they walked down the stairs. Chimu stepped over to the staircase and looked up at them.

"Going out?" Sawako nodded her head and Chimu smiled.

"Be sure to get back before dinnertime!" She returned to the living room where she sat, watching t.v.

"Un!" Sawako answered Chizuru chirpily as they headed out the door. Sawako, being the last one out, grabbed her jacket hurriedly and joined them outside.

* * *

Sawako woke up the next morning in her bed. She sensed something on the ground and cranked her head to look over at it.

Two bodies were sprawled across the ground on a couple of futons. Sawako rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things, but then remembered.

"Oh right, it's Chizuru and Ayane." She sat up and covered her mouth excitedly.

"I've only ever had sleepovers with Shino… This is great!" She whispered breathlessly within her hands.

She looked over finding her eyes setting on a glowing screen lying on the ground. She carefully sneaked out of her bed and crawled over to it. A cellphone was lying beside Ayane's hand that was relaxed on the ground. It seemed as though she was holding it up until she fell asleep.

The screen flashed a name and Sawako leaned over to read it.

"Shouta." She mouthed, but then made a double-take feeling her heart speed up and read it again.

"Oh, Shoua…" She sat back down on her heels and sighed out of relief.

_"I envy Ayane that can talk to Kazehaya-kun whenever she wants."_ Sawako felt a pain in her chest and clutched her shirt tightly. She shook her head, trying to shake the feelings of jealousy away.

"It's not Kazehaya-kun, but Shoua… Who's Shoua?" She peered over the name again and thought about it carefully.

Sawako speculated the situation, running it through her head.

_"Ayane was waiting for someone to text her, going to the extent of staying up late and finally collapsing from exhaustion. Must be someone important… Her dad? No, the way she displayed the name tells me it must be her boyfriend."_ Sawako stared at Ayane in awe.

_"She's so mature!"_ Her face flushed before she heard a soft _ding_ come from the cellphone and looked at the screen once again.

A small message appeared at the bottom and read:

"I'm sorry I stood you up after school on Friday. I had some important business to do."

Sawako didn't feel quite right, but before she could think about it anymore Ayane sat up abruptly and looked at her.

"What are you doing?" She stretched her arms out and yawned. She placed her hands back on the ground, her fingers hitting her cellphone.

"Oh, right." Her fingers crawled over her cellphone and she picked it up. She flicked it open and stared at the contents on the screen.

"Important business." She said under her breath.

Sawako looked at her curiously and spoke out, "You like him, right? So you'll forgive him?" Ayane looked at her with fierce eyes.

"Of course I do and of course I will." She said undeniably. Her tongue was harsh as though she was trying to convince _herself_ and not Sawako, but Sawako shook it off and concluded the conversation.

"_Ayane likes a boy named Shoua… Wait, that reminds me of my liking towards Kazehaya-kun!" _Suddenly, Sawako bolted up straight and covered her mouth. Though, Sawako had hoped Ayane wouldn't see, it was already too late.

"What are you doing so suddenly with a flustered face?" Her sly grin caused Sawako to widen her eyes in surprise.

"Eh…" Sawako thought about it quickly and gave in to tell the truth, finally.

"Actually, Ayane I li-" Ayane cut her off and called out.

"Chizuru, wake up! Sawako has something she wants to tell me, but I think you should hear it!" Chizuru groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked over at Ayane then to Sawako and tilted her head.

"What is it?" Her whine sounded just as funny as it did pitiful. Ayane chuckled and motioned for her to get closer.

"Eh?!" Sawako cowardly scotched backwards, but Ayane stopped her.

"Might as well tell the both of us, we're _both_ your friends, right?" That evil grin caught Sawako in a trap making her worried about what she had gotten herself into.

She sighed and brought her knees into her chest; she played with her toes nervously.

"Ah, I-I… -She hesitated- l-li-ke Ka-Kazeha-haya-k-kun…" She got quieter and quieter until the last word and that's when Chizuru exploded with a cheer.

"Sawako, that's awesome!" Chizuru slapped her on the back and hugged her tightly.

Tears were starting to form and she explained, "I'm so moved that you could tell us this!" She smiled and Sawako returned it with a shy one. Ayane grinned and acknowledged it, nodding her head.

She leaned over to whisper in her ear and said quietly, "You know what we should do? We should call up Kazehaya to come join us." Her words made Sawako shiver and goose-bumps became visible on her arms. Her face burned a light red and her eyes glazed over.

"_Eh?!"_

* * *

**A/N: So, I was in the shower (Cause you know, that's where all the mind-juices start flowing) and figured out what I'm going to do for the next chapter. :D  
I also figured out what I'm going to do for an epilogue! It's going to be AMAZING! I'm going to write all of this down, so I won't forget... I really can't wait!**

**I know I also said that I would make this one of my longest chapters, but I just couldn't because you saw that setup at the end... It was PERFECT! :D  
Uhhhh... Thanks for reading my story up till now by the way. I really appreciate the thought of having people read my story. That's all I really need to keep going through the day. ^^**

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**Edit: I forgot to mention... I own the character Kazue Yuu and Shoua Yoshimi!  
**

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**Shout-out: Thank you melody07 for putting me on alert!  
**


	10. Walk Together

**A/N: Heyoo! It's Aqua, back with a new chapter and ready to write more! =P**

**Hope you've been enjoying my story so far... And I'd like to say that for the longest time I've wanted to say this actually, and...  
I'M SO SORRY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LOOKED FORWARD TO SAWAKO'S INNOCENCE! I'VE DESTROYED SOME OF IT AND I'M SO SORRY! T^T  
**

**Please forgive me-e-e-e-e-e! Gosh, I hate myself for that; I LOVE her innocence and I destroyed some of it... Sorry...  
**

**And if you don't understand what I mean, I'll tell you in my bottom Author's Note.  
**

* * *

Even though Sawako didn't want to go, something nagged her mind and body moved on its own.

The sign to the karaoke building flashed its lights wildly as the group passed below it. Sawako heard laughter around her, making her feel trapped with no escape. She felt suffocated, but it wasn't a bad feeling entirely, she thought. Actually, she enjoyed this feeling very much, it made her chest fill with butterflies and a grin pinned itself on her face.

With Ayane by her side and Chizuru linking arms with her, they walked into the building. Sawako felt the nervous tension as she stared up at the back of Shouta's head. She wanted to run and hide, but Chizuru held onto her tightly, not letting the slightest chance of freedom available.

* * *

_**Beforehand**_

_While Sawako pounded the door of the bathroom, Ayane had locked herself in, inviting Shouta and Ryu to karaoke. Finally, she came out to an exhausted Sawako and told her that in was all alright. They would be going later anyways and that would mean she would have some time to calm down. Sawako agreed hesitantly, convincing herself that it was a time to have fun with all her new friends at the same time. That reminded her to invite Shino and Ayane approved without a second thought. Sawako felt a bit better after phoning Shino and asking her to come with her. She forgot to tell her about Shouta, but then realized that it would be better to tell her in person anyhow._

* * *

The group swiveled their way through the hallways of the building before ending up in their designated room. Sawako quickly scuttled her way towards one of the couches and flopped down with Shino by her side.

"So who wants to start?" Chizuru asked.

Ayane sat down on the other side of Sawako, while leaving the whole other couch to the boys. Everyone looked at each other with a look of horror on their faces; Chizuru sighed. She abandoned the idea of making them start and called it upon herself.

"Okay, fine, if you insist… I'll start." She said jokingly. She laughed a hearty laugh and selected a song.

Sawako leaned on Shino's shoulder and exhaled deeply. Her eyes darted over towards Shouta and her face became a mess of red.

Shino made her look at her and asked, "What's wrong?" She tilted her head as Sawako felt the presence of Ayane's gaze on her back.

"Oh, I need to tell you something…" She looked around and then returned her eyes to Shino who had an expression of concern.

"It's nothing wrong." She reassured, Shino raised her hand.

"Ah, me and Sawako are gonna go out for a sec." Shino said to the group and pointed to the door; everyone nodded.

Shino led Sawako out of the room and into the hallway. They made their way to the vending machines and stopped.

"So what's up? If it's nothing wrong, then what is it?" She asked.

"Um…" She nervously rubbed the back of her hand before a voice broke out in the hall, interrupting their discussion.

"Hanaki!" The voice whined.

Another voice called out in reply, "Kurumi, what do you want?" A body appeared at the end of the hall. Sawako and Shino turned to stare in surprise.

"I want tea, but they don't have the type I want on the men…" She rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks.

Her face showed the expression of alarm, but then she flipped it to a smile.

"Oh, well if it isn't Sadako." She ran a hand through her hair and smiled again.

"It's Sawako." Shino mumbled under her breath. Sawako placed a hand on her arm and smiled at her. Seconds after, she turned her attention to Kurumi.

"Oh, Kurumi-chan!" She faked a smile towards her. Kurumi looked taken aback, but retreated that look quickly.

"_Why is her smile so intimidating?"_ Kurumi gave Sawako a look of anger.

"Isn't this a surprise…" Sawako trailed off; a silence formed, making the moment somewhat awkward.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps behind them and to their dismay, it was Shouta.

"Kurumi!" He smiled and waved to her.

Sawako widened her eyes and her heart clenched painfully.

"_What?"_

"Kazehaya!" All of a sudden, her face lit up with a smile and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"What are you doing here?" He asked while stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Ah, er… I came with my friends." Kurumi squirmed, twisting her ankle and biting her lip bashfully. Sawako had never experienced anything like this. What was going on?

"Nice! I came here with Kuronuma and them." He nodded off towards her; Sawako began to feel inferior.

"_It's Kurumi, but then I'm Kuronuma? Why are they so intimate? What is their relation? And what happened to Senpai?"_ Sawako wanted to know more.

"Oh, I know! Why don't you join us? We have an extra couch in our room and we're all chipping in with our money anyways." Shouta suggested. Shino looked at him warily.

"_What is he thinking?"_ Shino thought as she glanced over at Sawako. Her eyes were wide as she looked from Shouta to Kurumi. Shino held her head with her hand and shook her head.

"Sure!" Kurumi piped up with ecstasy.

Shino rolled her eyes and blew out of her mouth.

"Okay, well, Sawako… Let's head back while they get the others." Shino tugged on Sawako's sleeve and she looked over at Shino.

"What? Ah, yeah," She unconsciously kept her eyes on Shouta and Kurumi as Shino dragged her along back towards the room.

She stopped before the door and made Sawako look at her.

"Tell me." Sawako stared at her in shock and fumbled with her words.

"Er… What? Oh, right. Ah… _That_…" Shino gave her an intense look.

"Okay, fine. I-I like Ka-Kazehaya-kun." Suddenly, Shino smiled and slapped her on the back cheerfully.

"There we go! I knew it! Well done, girl." She smiled a toothy grin at the paralyzed Sawako and pulled on her bangs.

"Hey, don't give me a look like that! I just knew it by the way you acted. Most people would be able to tell, but don't worry, Kazehaya doesn't have a clue." She smirked and opened up the door.

"We're back!" She pushed Sawako into the room and yanked her to the couch.

"Sit." She pushed down on her shoulders, making her sit.

"What's wrong with Sawako?" Chizuru leaned over and whispered into Shino's ear while Ayane was pleasantly singing.

"Oh, nothing much, just a bit shocked is all." She smiled and elbowed her in the stomach.

"Hey!-" Shino cut her off.

"I think Sawako's got a rival." As if on cue, the door clicked open to present Shouta, Kurumi, Hanaki and Natsuki. Shino nodded off towards Kurumi and Chizuru understood immediately.

"I see, her," Chizuru rolled her eyes and laughed to herself. Shino looked at her questionably, but Chizuru just shook her head.

"I'll explain it to ya later." By then, the newcomers had found a place to sit on the couch in front of them.

"Okay…" Still confused, Shino let it go and continued on with the entertainment.

"Hey, let me sing next!" Shino raised her hand while Sawako looked at her. Everyone nodded their heads.

The evening dragged on and Kurumi acted like an innocent, little girl, but Sawako knew something was up.

"_She's acting. I know that already, but why does she behave like that?" _ Sawako pondered about this, but soon forgot all about it.

* * *

The group gathered outside after the session, not including Kurumi and her friends who left earlier.

"Kazehaya, why don't you walk Sawako home?" Chizuru suggested. Everyone looked at her.

"Eh? Ah, okay." Shouta glanced over at Sawako whose body became rigid. Her heart began to pulse quickly making her snap out of it.

"I'm okay!" She frantically waved her hands in front of her.

Ayane gave her a look and sighed. Chizuru laughed and made the conversation much lighter than Sawako thought it was.

"C'mon, don't be stubborn! Plus, we wouldn't want poor, little Sawako going home alone, now would we? She might get into trouble." Sawako widened her eyes at Chizuru who burst out laughing, along with Ayane.

Sawako felt herself start to laugh. While the tautness in her stomach that has been there all night died out she decided she didn't mind the idea at all.

"O-Okay!" She continued to giggle.

Shouta stared at Sawako and his ears began to burn.

"_Why is she so irresistibly cute?"_ He turned away and covered his face.

"I'm going to walk Chizuru home." Ryu said.

"Hey, what about me," Ayane pouted and crossed her arms.

"You have a boyfriend; put him to some good use!" Chizuru pointed out and laughed.

"Right," Ayane smiled weakly and turned away from the group and took out her cellphone. Sawako eyed her worryingly.

"_Is she alright?"_ She wondered.

"Alrighty, Now that we know whose going with who, let's go!" Chizuru interrupted Sawako's thoughts and stepped over to Ryu's side to pull his arm along. She looked back and waved at the couple who were left standing in front of the building.

"Cya at school!" They watched as Chizuru and Ryu slowly disappeared from their view.

Sawako heard a sigh from behind her.

"Ah! We'd better go, I actually have a curfew." Sawako shyly wandered to Shouta's side.

They started walking with a tense awkwardness between them.

Crickets emerged from the wavering grass, sending their song off into the breeze. Sawako breathed in a cool line of fresh air and glanced over at Shouta who was stretching his arms out behind him. Sawako didn't have any idea of what to say; there were so many things she wanted to say, ask, but she knew some things were meant to be kept in her mind. What worried her was what _he_ was thinking most of all.

Shouta felt the wall between them. It didn't feel good and he didn't have any idea what to do. The best he could do was to keep looking forward and not let his eyes stray over towards her. Even though he wanted to reach out and run his fingers through her hair, he knew he had to restrain himself.

"_She doesn't feel the same way about me."_ He thought foolishly.

They continued to walk in silence. All Shouta did was embrace that silence and allowed it to swallow the both of them in a tight blanket. Sawako's heart began to pump furiously against her ribcage, yearning to be set free. She clenched her fist by her side and fought back. Biting her lip, she looked over at Shouta once more. This time their eyes locked.

"Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to stare!" Sawako jumped back and they stopped walking.

"_Wrong timing,"_ Shouta thought as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Nah, don't worry about it!" He averted his gaze and laughed it off.

When he noticed that there was a return of silence, he curiously met her eyes again and widened his eyes. He froze. She stared at him with consuming eyes that devoured him in shock. He had never seen her look this way and refrained from acting too rash.

"Something wrong?" He slowly lowered his hand and admitted to a softened look.

Sawako didn't know what came over her, but she suddenly felt she had to ask this one question. It was daring, she knew, but she couldn't hold it in.

"Kazehaya-kun, do you have a liking towards Sensei?!" She blurted out; Shouta was speechless.

"_What? Where did that come from?"_ He wondered where he went wrong. How could he show an expression that implied he liked _Sensei_? Suddenly, Sawako's manner took a backwards turn.

Her face grew red, her eyes grew wide and all she could think of was running away.

And that's what she did.

She couldn't believe herself; how could she think like that? This thought has been haunting her for days, but now that she finally had spoken it out loud, it was impossible, horrid. Anybody would hate her after hearing what she just said. She didn't want to think about what Shouta's reaction would be and feared it. She ran away, letting fear take its toll. She didn't look back and never dreamed of doing so. She wanted to escape, needed to.

"_Gah, why did I ask such a thing?"_ Tears began to push through her eyelids as she bit down hard on her hand.

She thought he would hate her; she dreaded it. She knew that's what he would think. All of a sudden, gravity conquered her and pulled her to the ground. Her knees hit hard like a drumstick on a cymbal. Tears trickled down her face in an overflowing mess. She curled her fingers and covered her face. She cried out in physical and emotional pain. It hurt so much.

Then, there were soft, running feet, padding along the ground.

* * *

**A/N: Hey... So you know all the stuff about Sawako's innocence? Well take a look back on her attitude towards Kurumi... She suspects something and it's not really innocent. I've already plotted this thing in my story and I have to keep following it up, I can't suddenly make her act like she doesn't know anything now...  
**

**Sorry if that seems OOC . I really am sorry. I REALLY don't want to disappoint my readers...**

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**Well, off that topic. CLIFFHANGER! You guys knew that that would happen though, right? If you didn't, then I take you as an idiot... I KID! I'm kidding... Joking... It's a joke... Don't take me seriously Q.Q  
**

**Ah, anyways! Thanks for reading up till this point!**

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**Shout-out: Thank you kokisssss for favouriting my story, putting me on alert and favouriting me as an author!  
**


	11. His Feelings

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I have lots of homework and other stuff I was doing x.x Homework sucks.**

**ANYWAYS! I think I did really well on this chapter and if you agree, please don't hesitate to say so. =3  
**

**Thank you for all the views! Over 600 = I'm really excited!  
Some people aren't continuing to read, so that makes me a bit sad, but it's their preference so it's okay.  
**

**READ ON!  
**

* * *

**_Beforehand_**

_Shouta stood in one spot as he watched her shadow disappear along the horizon. That was all the time he gave her. He didn't stop to think, he just ran._

_This was not supposed to happen. He was supposed to walk her home and say, "Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow!" Smile and wave a goodbye. Later, he would think back on today and stitch her smile into his mind for safe keeping. He thought it was a rare sight to see and what he didn't want to see was the tears that he knew would fall down her face. Oh god, he never wanted to see her crying again and he defiantly didn't want to be the cause. This was __**not**__ supposed to happen._

_It became harder to breath as he ran. All he could think was what she was doing right now. _

_Was she crying? Did she run all the way home, lock herself in her room and begin to hate herself?_

"_Please no." He clenched his teeth, lowered his head and ran faster._

_He wouldn't do this for just anyone, yes, he knew that. He did this because he loved her. He loved her so incredibly much that it hurt seeing her with someone else. He didn't care if she didn't feel the same way and got rejected; he needed to tell her so she wouldn't think different._

* * *

The wind howled into the quiet sky. Sawako's hair brushed her face softly and clung to her tears. She knew he was behind her, but she didn't dare to turn her head. She swallowed back some of her jagged breaths and heard a short of breath sigh. She was a statue, nothing less. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably. Before she knew it, a hand swooped down and closed around them. The hand pulled her upwards, making her stand with her back to him. His arms wound around her abdomen and he panted into her hair.

"Wha?!" She squirmed and tried to break free, but it was no use.

"Stop, I don't know what else to do when I see you cry." Sawako's heart couldn't take this.

She gripped the arms that caged her and tried prying them apart once more. He tightened his grip even harder. Her knees were already weak and what he was doing was more of a weight. She felt her knees buckle and slowly, Shouta went down with her to the ground. He still had his arms wrapped around her and decided he wouldn't let go. If he let go, he knew she would run, even though her knees were becoming unstable.

"Sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry!" He rested his forehead on her shoulder blade and did something that shocked Sawako more than she had ever been in her entire life.

He cried.

He shook behind her and with that, she calmed down. She finally came to her senses, realizing that this was more painful for him and in fact, he didn't know that this comforted her. She loosened her grip on his arms and she felt him relax. His hands fell onto the ground beside her and he continued to weep. She thought he was beautiful. She looked down at his hand and unconsciously reached out to touch it. His hand twitched and she realized what she was doing. She quickly brought her hand to her chest and held it delicately with the other.

Shouta moved behind her and placed both his hands on her shoulders. His forehead struck the center of her shoulder blades and he still cried. She didn't know how long, it must've been less than a minute. No way could he have cried longer than that. Sawako was confused as to why he cried, but she knew she couldn't ask at that moment.

He squeezed her shoulders before pulling his head back and vanishing from behind her. He crawled on his hands and knees; _hands and knees_, to sit in front of her. Sawako widened her eyes at the sight of his entirely red face. Even in the lighting of the moon, she could see if was completely red, flushed, and she could tell he was embarrassed.

"I'm so not cool." He said under his breath and covered his face. Sawako was taken aback and a giggle emerged from her lips.

"Ah, sorry…" She brought her hand up to her face and blushed. She looked down at the ground and focused her eyes on a rock.

There was silence.

"Sawako," Shouta said quietly; she jerked with a start.

"_Sawako…" _She thought.

"Sorry, but look at me." His tone was cool and calm now. Sawako couldn't resist _not_ looking at him, but she did resist. She couldn't look him in the eyes at all.

"Sawako…" His voice became stronger and out of the corner of her eye she looked at him.

She lifted her head and widened her eyes. Serious eyes stared intently back at her.

"Kazehaya-k…" He cut her off.

"I like you. I_ really_ like you, so much that I want to keep you to myself." Sawako's heart pumped loudly in her ears. Her head felt hazy and she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

A moment passed.

"Sawako, please answer. Whatever your answer, I'll listen." He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and blew air out of his mouth slowly.

"Ah… Um… Ka-Kazehaya-kun…" He gasped and quickly countered.

"No, never mind, I take back what I just said. I'll wait until you decide to tell me in your own time." He stared seriously into her eyes for the second time and blinked. His eyes stirred and returned neutral, glazing over with a clear saran wrap to protect the precious brown.

He stood up and shoved his pockets in his pockets as calmly as ever. It was as though nothing had happened. He turned and began to walk away.

"Ah!" Sawako scrambled to her feet. She faltered and tripped over her feet clumsily. She fell to the ground as Shouta span around and rushed to her side.

"Kuronuma!" The name returned.

Sawako's eyes widened as he reached out to offer his hand to her. The touch caused her face to burn a bright red. Suddenly, a white figure appeared beside him. Sawako screamed.

* * *

When Sawako woke up, she was laying in her bed. A soft tap tickled the window as the rain gently speckled the surface. A few leaves that were beginning to turn yellow attached themselves to the window, as if peering into the room and wishing to be in the dry house.

Sawako's head felt heavy and cloudy. Her mind was filled with nothing but the last image she saw before she passed out.

The ghostly figure was still burned clearly in her mind. A white face of a little girl with a small smile stretched across her face. Her hair was long, down to her hips and her eyes glowed brightly. She leaned on Shouta with her hands, peering from behind his legs as he gave Sawako a hand to get up. Sawako shook her head, trying to erase the image.

All she could wonder was what that thing was and what it meant; it worried her. She felt as though something terrible was going to happen.

Sawako looked at the clock and moaned; 11:07. She found it irritating that she slept in this long. Then she remembered it was a school-day.

She sprung out of bed and rushed downstairs. Her mom sat lazily in front of the t.v on the ground, crossed legged and slouched over.

"Momma, it's a school-day!" Sawako stood in the arch of the doorway out of breath from running down the stairs. Chimu looked over her shoulder and straightened her back.

As she stood up she said, "You were sick with a thirty-eight degree fever." She nonchalantly slid her hair behind her ear. She walked over to Sawako and gracefully lifted her hand to check her temperature. Her hand moved from her forehead to her cheek before she took it off and sighed with relief.

"You seem to be fine now." She tilted her head and smiled sweetly, "I'll get you something to eat." She started to walk away.

Sawako's hand strayed from her side as she reached out to pull on her sleeve.

"Wait, who brought me home?" Chimu halted and looked at Sawako curiously.

"Yoshida, Yoshida and a young boy with short hair shaved close to his head." Chimu stared at Sawako and cocked her head. Sawako's eyes widened as she realized that she was talking about Ryu.

"Eh?!" She let go of her sleeve and took a step back.

"Well, anyways, why is that important? It's more important to get some food in that stomach of yours!" She patted Sawako's stomach and laughed.

Sawako shook her head and flattened her bangs.

_"Did I imagine that whole thing?"_

* * *

The next morning Ayane and Chizuru excitedly dashed to her side.

"Sawako, where were you yesterday?" Chizuru asked.

Sawako stared at her for a moment before shaking her head and replying, "I was sick and my mom kept me home…" Chizuru exhaled deeply.

"Ah, okay… But you seemed fine when me and Ryu took you home." Sawako widened her eyes.

"So it _was_ you who took me home." A saddened feeling rose in Sawako and she felt her throat become tight.

"Yep, Ryu carried you on his back and I accompanied him!" Ayane studied Sawako's expression of hopelessness as she threw her gaze over Chizuru's shoulder and focused on a different figure.

Shouta stood with his back turned to them, talking to his friends. One of his friends pointed towards Sawako and he turned to look at where they pointed. Not realizing that they were pointing at Sawako, when he saw her, his face flamed up into a red mess. Sawako locked eyes with him for a split second and gasped. She quickly looked away as Ayane reached out to touch Sawako's arm.

"Are you okay?" Ayane mouthed, Sawako nodded shyly.

Chizuru, with no idea of what was going on spoke again, "Let's go get something to drink!" Without any manners, she pulled them by the arms, making them follow her.

Shouta turned completely around and stared where Sawako once stood, wide eyed. Ryu came up beside him and leaned over to talk into his ear.

"Are you okay?" Some reason he felt the sensation of déjà vu, but then he waved that off and answered, "Yeah."

* * *

For three days, Shouta and Sawako did not speak. Shouta thought she was avoiding him.

"_Did I really burden her that much?"_ While he lay on the grass, he covered his face with his hands and squeezed his eyes shut.

"_This is terrible, what have I done?"_ He felt his chest tighten as he exhaled a shaky breath.

"_I've got to go to her."_ This, he decided.

He made up the plan to go straight to her after school. He would not let this go on forever.

* * *

Sawako put her shoes back in her cubby and picked up her bag. She tapped her toe on the ground and sighed. She began to walk out of the doors until someone called out.

"Kuronuma!" Shouta yelled across the locker room. Everyone turned to stare, but he didn't care.

He marched over to Sawako and pulled on her arm. Her eyes widened and she dropped her bag. He led her down the halls and into their homeroom. There, he stopped with his back to her. She was scared.

"_He seems mad…"_ She carefully walked to his side and tried peering at his face.

All of a sudden, he gave her a look. Sawako was frightened and jumped back, but she noticed something. This look wasn't the look of anger, but the look of sadness.

"_What happened?"_ Sawako's eyes widened as he smiled, a terribly weak smile.

"Why are you avoiding me?" His voice sounded tight and Sawako could tell that somehow, she had hurt him.

But Sawako was confused. Since when had she avoided him? She thought back.

* * *

_There was the time she was dragged away in the morning, the time during lunch when Shino just wanted to eat lunch alone with her and the time Chizuru and Ayane walked her home with just the three of them… The next day, she was busy with Ayane and Chizuru and their pleas of wanting to go to Sawako's house again. Today, every time she made contact with Shouta she felt this awkwardness, so she unconsciously drew away from him. Sawako realized her mistake._

* * *

"Ah, no, that wasn't my intention. I was busy with my other friends." Sawako desperately tried to clear this up.

"Maybe I shouldn't have introduced you to other people and just kept you to myself." He turned away and raised is hand to his face. Sawako took a step back and froze.

"You stepped on my feelings the past few days without intention; I get it, but now understand this: That time, I wasn't lying." Sawako couldn't believe that her eyes could get any wider than they already were, but they did.

All she could ask herself was, _"What time?"_

She remembered her delusion of his confession, but she thought it was all her imagination. It wasn't true.

"_It isn't, right? But what is he talking about then, "his feelings"?"_

Sawako didn't understand anything anymore. She was so confused.

"_Sawako,"_ He said; Sawako felt stupid.

"_It was all true. It was never my imagination… That was the same tone he used that time. It was as though he __**wanted**__ me to remember it... So it's all true."_ Sawako felt relieved.

"_Relieved?"_ Correct, she wanted him so badly to feel the same way, she didn't even realize it.

She giggled; Shouta was shocked.

She cried; Shouta widened his eyes.

She fell to the ground and let her tears fall to the ground effortlessly. She was so happy.

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**A/N: Cliffhanger? OH YEAH! Sorry 'bout that, but I like torturing you guys =3 - Innocent  
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**Again, thanks for all the views. Like I said, it encourages me.**

**Um... Please wait until I have the next chapter and put up with the wait, THANK YOU! :D  
**


	12. Her Feelings

**A/N: BLEH! God, I hate homework T^T HELP ME-E-E-E-E-E! Like you could x.x**

**Dang... Okay, anyways! Hope you enjoyed last chapter and will enjoy this one JUST AS MUCH! I think I'm getting pretty good at this "intense" stuff =P  
**

**Read and review for cookies? =3 (I know I used a lot of faces this time; couldn't help it)**

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Her curled hands wiped at her face as she began to speak, "I-I thought I imagined the whole thing." Her shoulders jerked and finally twitched back into a calm position.

Shouta was baffled and downright embarrassed that his confession almost went over her head as an illusion.

When he spoke, he stuttered, "W-Why… Why would y-you think that?!" He was _extremely_ embarrassed.

Sawako removed her hands from her face and drifted her eyes upwards to look at his face. Her eyes were red and slightly puffy; the sight made Shouta's throat constrict like it always did when he saw her cry.

"Ah, -She wiped a tear with her finger and smiled- because Chizuru and Sanada-kun took me home, so I thought…" She averted her gaze and brought it down to the floor. She shyly circled her finger on the ground and squeezed her eyes shut. She began to think that what she thought was complete gibberish, but then she saw something.

Shouta face palmed. Sawako had never seen such a reaction from Shouta and she was taken aback.

"That… Was because I didn't want your mom to meet me that way." Shouta turned his head away and covered his face with his hand; Sawako's eyes widened.

Shouta continued with more of an explanation, "When you passed out, I didn't know what to do… So I freaked out and phoned up Ryu who was with Yoshida. They picked you up and took you home." He sighed irritably at himself as he shook his head and walked over to a desk. He sat up on it and dropped his head in his hands as he stared down at the floor.

"I thought I did the right thing, but it became a huge misunderstanding." He ran his fingers through his hair and gripped it tightly. He continued to shake his head while Sawako stood up.

"But… -She began to walk over to Shouta very slowly- I think it's cleared up now and if what you said at that time was true then my…" Her steps became even slower as she came closer to him and she felt her heart begin to race. Her face became painted with red and she saw him raise his head with giant, fixed eyes on her.

"Gah," She panicked and took a step back. She fell into a crouched position and covered her head with her arms. Shouta slid off the desk to rush over to her, but then stopped dead in his tracks.

"Kazehaya-kun has made me a b-better person… H-He's taught me so many things and at first, you were my idol…" Shouta's paralyzed hand wanted to reach out so badly and pull her close to comfort her, but the words that she was speaking drummed in his ears and he couldn't move an inch.

"B-B-B-But, those feelings changed… I-I-I like you." She said it.

Sawako knew her voice trembled, but she finally said it. Her heart didn't stop its pace. In fact, it began to race even faster. A pounding bashed against her ears from the inside, making her feel a bit lightheaded, but she also felt the rapid pump of adrenaline run through her.

"I like you, I like you, I _like_ you…" Sawako couldn't say it enough. She couldn't express all of the feelings she was feeling at this very moment that consumed her in a quilt of pressure and light.

She repeated those words. She wouldn't let them escape so he wouldn't hear them. How long did she wait to say these three words that meant the world to her? It felt like an eternity and when she finally said them she realized just how much she actually meant them. She didn't just like him. She finally understood that her feelings were more than that, so much more than that.

"I _love_ you." She switched the word and found it fit better than the last.

Shouta was frozen as he watched her head shake side to side while she said these words. He didn't know how to comprehend this situation. His heart was furiously banging against his chest, his face felt like it was on fire and his mouth wouldn't produce any sound. He was speechless and glued to the spot. How could he respond to something like that? What should he say? He couldn't even describe how happy he was, but he knew he was more than "a lot happy". He felt like he could fly to the moon on these feelings. He thought nonsense, but it made complete sense to him.

Shouta wrapped his feelings in a blanket, so that he could still feel them hitting against the inside, but not as strong and finally come up with a way to keep moving.

"Sawako…" She hesitated to look up with her nervous, flickering eyes. She repeatedly blinked as she stared up at Shouta who smiled and held out a hand to her. Her mouth was agape and she blinked once more before raising her hand to grasp onto his.

When their skin made contact, a jolt powered through her and a spark went off in her eyes. Her face was flaming, but she hardly noticed it now as he gripped her hand and pulled her up to eyes height. They stared at each other straight on. Sawako didn't feel the slight sense of awkwardness anymore. She forgot the time she did.

Shouta squeezed her hand which caused Sawako to squeeze back without thinking. Shouta chuckled and grinned. Sawako ducked her head blushingly, but kept her gaze locked onto his. No way would she ever give up this moment to do this.

"Can I… Hug you?" Shouta didn't want to contain himself to just a hug, but he wanted to treasure her and this moment.

Sawako nervously took a step back, but as she did so, she realized that that's exactly what she wanted him to do.

She timidly replaced her foot back where it was and kept her eyes on his face. She was scared; she knew she had to get stronger though. Her lip quivered as she bit it down and embarrassedly nodded her head. A faint smile ghosted across her face as he pulled her into him and wrapped his arm around her. His other arm was in between them while he held her hand and entwined their fingers. They both closed their eyes and smiled. Synchronized, they sighed out of relief which startled them. They looked up at each other again causing Sawako to giggle and release her hand. Shouta's eyes widened as she took this opportunity to wind both her arms around him and pull their bodies closer together.

Now it was Shouta's turn to get surprised and tense up.

"_She's adorable…"_ His eyes were wide as he felt her grip onto his shirt yearningly.

He relaxed his body and smiled. He enveloped her with his arms and closed his eyes again.

The air around them seemed to produce a vivid bubble that smothered the surrounding sounds. The clock on the wall seemed to tick slower, the rain that could be heard from inside was barely audible and what struck Sawako most was that she could hardly hear the laughter through the open door.

Shouta smelt like fabric cleaner; Sawako smelt like cherry blossoms.

"_It must be her hair…"_ Shouta thought and smiled.

Below his head, a similar action was happening. Sawako smiled at the thought of Shouta doing his laundry and mewed out a small giggle.

"Ah," She gasped and opened her eyes.

Shouta didn't know what she giggled at, but he automatically softened the mood with his own chuckle and tightened his embrace. Sawako's eyes fell slightly while she gripped more of his shirt in her hands.

The moment seemed so long, though, Sawako knew that it was, in reality, very short. The thought made her recoil into sadness and desire. She wanted to stay like this forever. As much as she wanted to, she knew that it would be impossible. And as she knew it would be, it was over.

Shouta slid his hand down her arm and grasped her hand; Sawako felt a series of goose bumps trail along her arm and widened her eyes. She glanced up at Shouta's face and their eyes connected.

"_Damn, I want to kiss her."_ Shouta brought a hand up to his face and looked away quickly.

"Gah, this is too much." He avoided her gaze and looked out of the window to stop the temptation.

Sawako's eyes widened before darting side to side and then down to the ground.

"Ah," She brought her other hand to her mouth and bit it gently.

"Really, I'm so happy right now." Shouta continued to stare out of the window, now finding his eyes tracing the outline of the church that poked its way out from the treetops. He felt Sawako shift in front of him and looked out of the corner of his eye.

_**Way**_** too much.**

The image he saw was of her standing there, biting her hand, innocently, and not intending to persuade anybody, but it was enough for him.

He felt the urge to do something that he knew would surely terrify her, so he resisted. His thoughts were of those of someone he thought didn't exist, but this is what she had made of him. She had changed him and this he realized just now. How could she say that she was the only one who had changed? Surely, she knew he had changed as well. He changed into someone who finally had something to protect with is entire life. He would give his life to her; he knew that was for certain. There was no doubt.

"Ka-Kazehaya-kun! I-I'm really happy… t-too." Her wavering eyes met his, causing him to gasp and cover his mouth.

"Ah…" He looked away again and scratched the back of his head. Suddenly, he heard voices.

He swiftly grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit beside him against the wall. He made a motion to stay silent and she did as she was told. As a group of teenagers passed the classroom, he couldn't help but glance over at Sawako and see her face in a complete red mess. He grinned to himself, thinking of how lovable she was and then returned his gaze to the other side of the room.

Sawako saw his grin and didn't know what to make of it, but decided not to keep thinking about it. It was just a grin. She felt something by her shoulder and noticed the closeness of their bodies.

"_Ah, he's right there…"_ She realized that their shoulders were touching.

She didn't even think that this slight touch would make her so conscious about him. She noted the pattern of his breath and the way he propped himself up against the wall with his head against it. He looked over at her and saw her staring.

"Ah," She exclaimed and grew even redder in the face, evading his eyes. He widened his eyes in surprise at first, but then a gentle smile crept on his face and his eyes softened as took her hands in his. He sat up on his knees and leaned into her. He closed his eyes and placed a small kiss on her forehead. She squeezed her eyes shut and gripped his hands tighter as she winced slightly before feeling the light flower petal she thought had landed on her head.

She reached up to brush it off and realized it wasn't a petal.

Shouta sat back on his heels and tilted his head with a smile.

"_A k-k-k-kiss?!"_ Sawako felt flutters of wing beats in her stomach and the blood rush to her head as she scotched backwards with a face of embarrassment.

"EH?!" Sawako looked down at the ground and covered her forehead with her hands excitedly.

She felt her heart rate keep a prancing beat and glanced up a Shouta who had widened his eyes and was staring at her quizzically. The eye contact just made her heart beat even faster.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" She scrambled to get up and hurriedly brushed off her skirt. As she tried to pass Shouta he grabbed her hand.

"Ah…" The difference in level caused Sawako to get pulled down and if it wasn't for Shouta she would've crashed into him, but as she stood there crouched down she couldn't help but feel the slight change in temperature.

When she opened her eyes, another pair stared into hers centimeters away.

Sawako widened her eyes, as did Shouta. Their faces were completely red as they froze in that position. Shouta's eyes couldn't focus on one eye, causing him to switch back and forth uncomfortably.

"L-Let me walk you home." He let go of her hand and as soon as he did so, she dashed out of the classroom.

She was just too embarrassed.

"Ah!" Shouta's hand inched upwards to the presence of nothing. After closing his hand into a fist, he let it fall to the ground and stared down at it blankly.

"Jeez…" He stood up and scratched the back of his head. He started to walk for the door, but before exiting he slammed a fist on the sliding door.

"Damn!..." The door rattled in its hinge and came to a stop.

He sighed and looked down the hall to the locker room. He widened his eyes.

There, stood Sawako with her back to the wall just outside of the classroom, her hands cradled her elbows in front of her as she stared down at the floor.

"You o-offered to walk me home," She said as she looked up at him nervously.

His jaw dropped as he stared with widened eyes. He thought that she had left…

"Ah, um… Right!" He nodded a little too enthusiastically, but Sawako didn't care as she gave him a warm smile.

"L-Let's go." She shyly clasped her hands in front of her, while a blushing Shouta shoved his hands in his pockets.

When they exited the school, he anxiously reached out his hand for her to grab it. He kept his other hand in his pocket as he looked up to the right corner of the sky, the opposite side of which she was standing. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before feeling the tingly sensation of her hand in his. All he could ever want was right here, beside him.

"_Her hand is so small."_ Was pretty much all he could think as he interlocked their fingers and walked her home along the path of the riverbank.

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**Edit**

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**A/N: WELL... THERE YOU GO! A sweet ending, doncha think?** **Stayed up late writing this chapter for you guys... BE THANKFUL :3**

**Haha...  
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**Anyways, I think the people who have read up till now are AWESOME and THANK YOU SO MUCH! The thought of someone liking my story makes my heart all warm. I'm so weird. :***

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**Shout-out: Thank you BelleWeasleyG for reviewing my story and favouriting it! :D Cookies for you!*Hands out cookies*  
**

**(Btw, I STILL know "favouriting" isn't a word!)**


	13. Dying Young

**A/N: Uhg... So sorry guys! I was swallowed by homework again and had no time to write. ~Sigh~  
Anyways, thanks to my readers who have read up till now! I really look forward to getting some reviews, possibly. I don't know, doesn't really matter, but I'd like to know what you guys think! ^^ I won't stop writing nonetheless.**

**Uhm... Haha! RANDOM SHOUT-OUT TO "Cris" (You know who you are :3) Anyways...**

**Read on!**

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The sound of the river hummed in their ears and the wind played with their hair as they walked along the path beside the river. Sawako's heart thumped silently, still hanging on to those feelings in the classroom; her cheeks glowed a light red as they walked hand in hand.

The existence of Shouta was a miracle; because of him, she was able to open her heart to Ayane and Chizuru and Shouta himself. If he wasn't there, she wondered if she would've ever been able to make more friends other than Shino. The possibility of that made her shiver and want to cry; she wouldn't think about it. Right now, she was enjoying the moment of her love that had been longing to be returned since the day she and Shouta met each other.

She regretted as she did so, but once they reached a certain point in the path she stopped and gently pulled back on his hand.

"Th-This is fine." She said quietly.

"Ah," Shouta stared back at her in surprise as his ears slowly began to turn red at the tips.

He looked at their hands, causing him to blush harder, and then back at Sawako who was observing her shoes as if they were the most fascinating thing she had ever seen. Sawako tried to drop her hand, but Shouta refused to let go.

"Do you have time?" He flicked his head towards the river and saw Sawako widen her eyes. When their eyes made contact, she jumped back in surprise and evaded his eyes quickly. He felt a small clench of his heart and decided for her.

"Come." He squeezed her limp hand and pulled her in his direction.

Sawako stared at the back of his head in wonder as he led her towards the riverbank. Questions filled her head, but as she thought about it, what could happen?

She shyly fixed her grasp on his hand and let him pull her willingly to the place she knew all too well. She knew this river like the back of her hand and she pondered about something: Just how many memories did this river hold?

Once they were at the bank he retrieved his hand from hers and sat down. He looked up at her as she held her hand with the other and stared absentmindedly out at the river. He tried to gain her attention by patting the ground and as Sawako turned her head to glance at him, she saw something else behind him.

The transparent, ghost-like image was back.

Sawako wanted to scream, but no noise would come out as she opened her mouth to do so. Shouta stared at her questionably and thought something was wrong.

"Is everything alright?" She readjusted her eyes to his face and gasped.

"Ah! Um… D-Do you see that?" Sawako was terrified as she nervously lifted her finer to point at the monstrous thing.

Shouta quickly looked over his shoulder to see, but saw nothing. For a split second he thought maybe she was faking it, but then remembered that he was making that assumption over someone like Sawako. By the look in her eyes, he confirmed that whatever she was seeing was frightening. All he could do, was hope that it would soon disappear.

"Kuronuma…" Sawako gasped as she realized she was paying more attention to something that her eyes played than Shouta. She returned her eyes to him quickly.

"Ah! S-S-Sorry!" She couldn't help but switch her focus to the figure once again and try to figure out just what in the world it was.

Sawako felt an odd churn in her stomach as she grasped a thought that frightened her: The more she looked at the misty, petit face, the more it looked somehow familiar. This made her question the thing in curiosity and began to think that it wasn't all that scary, but cute and more scared of her than she it as it hid behind Shouta.

"Eh…" She began, but Shouta interrupted her train of thoughts and she blinked.

"Y-You… Relaxed; is it gone?" Sawako looked down towards the ground and blushed a gentle red. She understood that her expression had changed and made him think that it had moved on, but that wasn't the case as she shook her head.

"N-… No." She said quietly. He continued to stare at her and wondered why she seemed calm, even though it was indeed still there.

She suddenly looked at him.

"I-It's fine!"

"_It's not that scary; it's just a little girl." _She thought. Shouta heard her speak without moving her lips.

Shouta widened his eyes, believing he must've imagined something.

"D-Did you just say something?" Sawako looked at him while she knelt down beside him.

"Eh? N-No…"

"Ah…" He directed his eyes to the ground and scratched the back of his head as a nervous laugh came from his mouth.

"I-I see…" His laugh came to a hesitant stop and he seriously considered what he had heard.

He spoke again, "Is it a little girl?" He said this as she was fiddling with her fingers. She froze and blinked. Her mouth dropped and she lifted her eyes to meet his.

"H-How did you know?!" She leaned forward onto her palms and stared into his eyes.

He moved away reflexively and looked over to the side.

"_Did I hear her thoughts?"_ He pondered this, but waved it away; that was impossible.

While Shouta was distracted, Sawako had caught sight of the little girl behind him.

Then she heard laughter.

She watched as the girl came out from behind him and twirled around, letting her dress twist and flutter around her. She stopped and brushed her foot along the ground before setting it back beside the other. She grasped her elbows behind her back and smiled an evil smile. Sawako's eyes followed her as she teetered from her heels to her toes in a rocking motion. Sawako sat back and closed her gaping mouth. The little girl stepped lightly over to her and stood behind her. She rested her hands on her shoulders and squeezed them tightly.

Shouta saw Sawako's eyes roll back into her head and jumped back in shock.

"Wha?!" He quickly stood up and rushed over to her.

He gripped her shoulders in a concerning manner and felt a chill run down his spine. Then he felt small, bony fingers under his hands.

Foggy, white hands began to appear; the fog continued to form arms and climbed up to outline shoulders, neck and a head. Two white, glowing eyes glared at him as lips curved upwards into a devilish grin. Hair floated up behind the little girl he saw, reaching out like snakes trying to find a branch to cling to. He realized that this is the little girl Sawako must've seen as he stood motionless, petrified to the core.

All of a sudden, a bright orb flashed and swallowed Sawako and the little girl. Shouta retracted his hands quickly and jumped back. He felt a sting stab through his fingers agonizingly. It felt like an icicle had just shot through them and it followed up his arms causing a shiver rattle within him. His legs were glued to the spot; either he was too terrified to move, or it was the effect of the chill as well.

He stared wide-eyed at the ball of light. It began to fizzle out and then evaporated as fast as it came into speckles of dust.

"Uh…" Shouta was confused and mortified as he saw that Sawako's eyes were closed and an unfamiliar smile presented itself. Sawako stood up slowly and walked over to him.

Shouta immediately realized that this was not Sawako; this was that little girl.

"Shouta Kazehaya…" She grinned, eying him with a burning glare and scoffed at the expression on his face.

"What's wrong, cat got your tongue?" She smirked as she tapped his shoulder before he could speak, silencing him and freezing his mouth shut.

He could not move and he could not speak. What did she want?

"Ah, this is my new body, new soul. How funny that my sister fell in love with my present life form…" She softly caressed his cheek in her hand and whispered into his ear, "That's right, I'm her sister; her hidden sister that died before her dad." She slid her hand off his face and shook her head as a chuckle punctured the air.

"How funny…" She repeated quietly, looking up at the sun-burnt sky.

Shouta's eyes followed her; they were the only thing he could control. As she squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples she noticed something stirring inside her. She was not used to a body that could show emotions and as she tried to laugh again, she choked on her own saliva. She soothed her throat with her fingers and looked over at Shouta who was still as a rabbit on guard, aware of the monster present.

She felt something wet glide down her cheeks.

"Huh?" She was startled as she extended her hands out and drops of salted water fell onto them.

"What?!" She jerked backwards and quickly brought her hands to her face. Her hands trembled and her fingers started to twitch when they came intact with her tears.

"Oh, right. I'm in a human body now… I... Can cry." She laughed again, but soon her laugh became a bone-chilling scream.

She collapsed onto her knees and covered her face with her hands as she wailed out of control. Her eyes became wide like a doll's and she curved her fingers into wicked forms. She scratched at her face, trying to stop her tears, but they wouldn't let up. She cut into her flesh with her nails before releasing a wild screech when she felt the excruciating pain burn through her face.

She slammed her fists onto the ground repeatedly, _completely_ out of control; she couldn't stop herself. All the feelings she had, all those feelings that were built up inside her waiting to be let free, burst out at this moment.

* * *

_She didn't want to die; it just happened. How she wished she could've stopped it. The truck had suddenly slammed into her side of the car, what else could she have done but wait until her time passed? Her life was fragile; she was only __**five years old**__… She was five years old and out of that life. She just wanted to live, find love and be happy, but she had to be taken away from everything she loved. Why did she have to go? It was her time, she believed, but she wouldn't accept it. How could her time to be done when she was so young? _

_When she was lifted from her corpse and into the thin air of the afterlife she couldn't believe her eyes seeing the limp, motionless body lay on the hospital bed. She wanted to cry, let the doctors know she was still there. She saw them, she heard them speak! How could they not see her?!_

_She realized that it was no use. She was just another ghost, another dead human being that would be forgotten within time. Why was __**she**__ taken? She tried to cry. Her eyes stayed wide open with no produce. She might've been happier just crying there and then accepting it, but without be able to spill out her feelings, it was impossible._

_Days passed, it must've been less than three, but it felt longer… She was suddenly pulled from her spot as she was roaming the streets and brought to the side of a young, baby boy. _

_**"Just what the hell was this?"** she had thought, but realized that he was the one to carry part of her soul on. She felt happy for some odd reason, probably the god's trick to help her accept her fate now. She wouldn't give in. Never._

_As the years went on, she became attached to the boy, though. Shouta Kazehaya. That was his name._

_He entered __Kitahoro High __School… _

_**"Where did that sound familiar? Wait, that's right. My mom and dad mentioned it before. That was the high school I was supposed to go to!"** She felt excited and surprisingly happy for real this time. She got to see her high school._

_One problem, she noticed right away that something was wrong with the girl Shouta had met on the first day of school. But what was it?_

* * *

**A/N: Ooooe! More cliffhangers! You guys probably know why she feels uneasy, though, right? If you don't... Good luck.  
**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I enjoyed writing it a bunch! Oh, but I realized how much I hate writing monologues and how hard it is for me to write in their characters. I really hope you don't mind the mishaps I have with OOCness (Not a word, I know, so shush)  
**

**I'll keep trying my best! If I find that I'm really writing out of character it might take me some time again to update. Right not I'm probably fine since I'm not writing Sawako as "Sawako" but as my character.  
**

**Just to make something clear: I DO NOT OWN KIMI NI TODOKE OR ITS CHARACTERS! (Already mentioned this, I think... Anyways, clarifying again =P )  
**

**Thanks again for reading and keep in touch! *o*  
**


	14. I'm Back

**A/N: Did yah miss me? :D**_  
_

**I'm back with another chapter! I hope you enjoy this one; sorry I didn't update sooner... I was like, "I really want to write more, but my hands won't let me!" It was weird.  
Well, anyways, I worked pretty hard on this one and I came up with some things that I thought I wouldn't even think of putting in there. Hmmm...  
**

**Let me know what you guys think! READ ON!  
**

* * *

_It was obvious; how did she not realize it before?_

_That girl that made her feel uneasy. That girl had every aspect of her in an older image. That girl… Was her sister! Her name, Sawako Kuronuma, set off a surging anger within her. "Kuronuma…" That was how she confirmed it. That was her last name._

_When Shouta had spoken to Sawako using her full name, she saw the flame in her sister's eyes, the electricity that turned her emotions for a spin. She smiled._

"_This will become interesting…"_

_She felt the sense that Sawako had been able to see her when Shouta had left the classroom as she stared after him. She watched Sawako for a length of time before she felt the tug of the invisible string that attached her to Shouta. She sighed reluctantly as she turned to follow him. That was their very first encounter. From here on, if Sawako opened her heart to Shouta even more she would be able to see her dead, little sister completely for the first time._

_A week after, Sawako saw her; passed out, but saw her. She had the idea that Shouta was in love with her and of course it was obvious that Sawako had fallen for him entirely. This is what it took to make her visible to Sawako. It was only amount of time and she was right. That day that she would be able to appear and be able to touch Sawako brings us back to the present._

* * *

"What are you doing?!" A flustered Shouta flew over to the shaking, possessed Sawako and landed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Ah!" She widened her eyes before the life got sucked out of her and Sawako's body went limp on the ground.

Shouta became immobilized, staring at Sawako's lifeless eyes.

"Wait… No! Why?!" He picked her up in his arms and squeezed his eyes shut.

He held her close to his body with his hand supporting her head as he stroked her hair delicately. He used the back of his hand to gently touch her cheek and felt the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Damn! Why?! What did she do to you?! I finally just reached you; this isn't fair!" He clenched his teeth as a tear fell from his eye and landed on her face. He wiped it furiously with his sleeve and pounded his fist on the ground.

"And now you know how I felt, but of course, losing your own life is entirely different." The little girl was back to her ghost form. She stood beside him with a look of pity and clicked her tongue.

"Oh, sweet justice… Too bad this is wrong." She let out a heavy sigh and snapped her fingers.

She cupped her hands in front of her and a ball of light appeared in her palms. It hovered over to Sawako and into her chest.

Sawako sucked in a breath of air, gasping for oxygen. Her eyes flipped open.

"Ka-Kazehaya-kun!" Her eyes adjusted to his face and she stuttered as she sat up.

"Ah! S-Sorry, did I fall asleep somehow?!" Sawako, completely unaware of what just happened, blushed a bright red and covered her mouth in embarrassment.

"Eh…" Shouta's mouth fell open.

"_She doesn't know what happened." _He thought.

She spoke again, "She's gone."

Shouta's eyes widened. Sawako felt her heart fall. She wanted to talk to the little girl more. She thought maybe she could make friends with her. Shouta opened his mouth, but closed it again.

A moment of silence passed slowly, thirty seconds at most. Then he saw her eyes light up. Sawako experienced a sudden thrill rise in her.

"M-Me! She looked like me!" Sawako's eyes dashed away from his and darted around. She stood up, spinning herself around and continued to search without any result. Sadness washed over her, pulling her down beside Shouta. He saw the disheartened look on her face and felt his heart begin to thump harder than before. Her eyes drifted downwards looking at her hands and bit her lip with mixed emotions.

"She said… She had to leave." Shouta said. He grimaced at the sharp pain in his chest. _A lie._

"Oh." She said quietly.

Sawako played with her fingers in her lap restlessly and sighed deeply. Shouta couldn't help but want to help in some way, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't tell her; that would just make her feel worse.

He quickly came up with something, "Ah, but… I think she wanted to be friends with you, too. I don't think she would try to hurt you." Sawako looked up from her hands.

"I-I think so too! I want to be friends with her!" She tilted her head and smiled. Shouta felt his heart skip a beat as his face brimmed with a sweet pink.

"_I like it when you smile."_ He thought. Sawako froze and her cheeks suddenly flushed a deep red. She touched her cheeks lightly with her fingertips and stared at him speechless.

"I l-like it when you smile; I like your smile."

Her eyes widened as she spoke, "W-Wha… I-I heard you the first time!" Shouta was taken aback.

"But that was… The first time…" Sawako immediately shut her mouth and covered it.

"Ah! Of c-course…" She brought down her hand and felt rude for her outburst.

Shouta stared at her and sighed.

"I… Might be crazy, but let me try something." He took in a deep breath.

"_Sawako, I've liked you for a long time."_ Shouta blushed and heard her gasp. He laughed, finding out he was right.

"How is that even possi… You heard that, right?"

Sawako blinked and nodded her head, "Un…"

"I see…" He looked away from her and covered his face. He continued, "T-That's what I thought, I didn't say that." Sawako stayed silent and began to run that over in her head. He shook his head and chuckled before speaking again, "This is weird. I heard you say that she was a little girl earlier, but you didn't say anything; that was your thought." Sawako widened her eyes and realized what he was saying.

"Y-You mean, we can hear each other's thoughts?"

Shouta laughed and nodded his head, "Ye-" He was cut off.

"Seems so," But it wasn't Shouta who spoke.

* * *

They quickly turned their heads towards the voice. The little girl stood with a small smile on her face and cocked her head to one side.

"I'm back!" Fact was, she never left.

Sawako stumbled to stand up and brushed her skirt off, "Ah, you're back!" She clapped her hands and smiled cheerfully.

"Shouta stood up as well and grew wary.

"_What will she try to do this time?"_ He thought as he watched the little girl extend out her hand.

Shouta's eyes widened when Sawako reached out to grasp the little girl's hand.

"No!" He stopped her.

The little girl was startled and jumped in surprise.

"What?" She asked. Sawako looked at him with a look of question and felt his heart clenched tightly.

"Ah, sorry, I did it without thinking." He retracted his hand.

Sawako recalled the time he said that he wanted her all to himself and her face grew red.

"_Oh, right… Shouta-wanted me-himself." _Shouta was able to hear bits of what she was thinking and his heart began to beat faster. _Thump. Thump. Thump._

She started to bring back her hand; the little girl gave Sawako a look of reassurance.

"It's fine," She added and smiled; her hand still hung in the air.

Sawako looked at it nervously before slowly reaching out again. Shouta flinched as their hands made contact, but nothing extraordinary happened. He sighed out in relief.

"I'm Yuki. " She said.

Sawako blushed and nodded her head, "Um… I'm Sawako." They shook hands and let go.

Sawako felt a tingle in her hands and shivered. She looked up and noticed the sky turning orange.

"Ah, I… -She looked over at Shouta then back at her- _We_ need to go now." Yuki's eyes dimmed as she looked over at Shouta and narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, I see." She slurred her words in annoyance, but Sawako hardly noticed.

"Yes… But, we'll see you sometime soon!" Sawako said happily. Yuki grinned.

"Of course," And with that, she disappeared.

* * *

The next morning, Sawako remembered Yuki almost the instant she woke up.

"Yuki…" Sawako sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her eyelid clung to the bottom one and she found it hard to keep her eyes open. It was as if she was carrying double the weight.

* * *

Shouta awoke and stretched his arms. He yawned and covered his eyes with his hands. His eyes wouldn't stay open for some odd reason. Maybe the toll of yesterday was finally rolling over?

"_Strange."_ He thought.

He gasped as he remembered that he and Sawako had finally conveyed their feelings for each other. She was his girlfriend now.

"Yes!" He sat up and grinned. He looked out the window. The sun glared brightly and shadows cascaded around his room. He sighed in complete bliss. But, then he remembered Yuki.

"_Just what in the world does she want?"_

"Pfft" He looked for where the noise came from and to his horror, Yuki sat pleasantly on the ground, looking up at him.

"Good morning." She smiled.

"Y-You!" He kicked off his covers and leapt onto his knees.

"I have a name." She said, irritated.

"Fine… -He hesitated in annoyance- _Kuronuma_." He said through gritted teeth.

It was weird. In all the years of his life, he has never hated anyone as much as this little girl. He could never forgive her for what she's done. Her attitude added to the fire and caused him to become someone he wasn't. Someone vile.

"_If Sawako had known her true personality, actions, words, would she have wanted to be her friend?"_ He wondered.

"That's… None of your business!" She growled.

Shouta fell silent.

The whistle of his mother's kettle from downstairs sang out into the silence.

"It is my business." He mumbled. Yuki giggled.

"Of course it is." She said sarcastically, "She's your _girlfriend._"

"Don't mock me!" He snapped angrily.

"It's not good to lose your temper." She clicked her tongue and shook her head in disapproval.

He bit back his tongue and sent her a glare instead.

"Hey, look." She stood up and fixed her dress before walking over to his bed and sat on the edge. A small indent was clearly visible.

"At least your alive and can get angry at who you want." She swung her legs which reminded him that she was a child, and for the first time, he took the time to realize the fact that she was a young child and actually, in reality, dead. He felt pity for her.

"Don't give me that look, and don't pity me. Did I ask for your pity? Ha, and it's not like anyone misses me anyways." Shouta was shocked and took back what he had thought.

"Wait, surely your mom…-" She cut him off.

"Burned… -She looked downed towards her knees- She burned all our photos we took together and forgot about me. She's happy with... _Sawako_. She never even told her about me. I just…" She covered her face with her hands and squeezed her eyes shut, "It's not fair." She said.

Shouta watched as she bit down on her arm until black streams ran down the sides. It dripped onto the floor, quickly creating a small pool a blood. She unhooked her jaws from her arm and stood up from her bed. She lowered her foot onto the blood, barely touching it and it bubbled before suddenly turning into black smoke. It hovered above the ground, slowly vanishing into thin air.

She turned her head and looked at Shouta, "Helps with the anger. Doesn't hurt; I'm dead, right?" She laughed and Shouta stared in horror.

A chill ran down his spine and he trembled; his teeth chattered painfully in his skull.

"When people are angry, they usually take it out on somebody… I bite myself. Mom said it wasn't good to harm yourself, but I thought, "What's better? Hurting others for your own pain or dealing with it the way I do?" She slapped me saying I was stupid, but I still loved her and she still loved me… I know that. And besides, it was only once… Only once…" She came to a whisper. Shouta was frozen and continued to stare at her.

"**I SAID IT WAS ONLY ONCE!**" She screamed.

She turned away from him and disappeared.

Shouta blinked, "What was that?"

* * *

**A/N: So I'm totally wondering if I should put a "M" alert on here or not... It's not like it's really gruesome or anything.  
Blah, anyways, hope you guys liked it!  
**

**I love all the twists I've put in this story! I really need to praise myself more, lol.**

**Ummm... I don't know what else to say (./.)  
Just... Please review? Nah, doesn't matter. I just hope you're enjoying it and plus, I've got a super awesome friend that's been helping me. (You know who you are... I think)**

**Anyways, please continue reading and don't give up on me! I'll defiantly blow your minds away! I'm like, not even halfway through, too. :D**

* * *

**Shout-out: Thank you hikaritenshi91 for favouriting my story and putting me on alert! *Gives out cookies*  
**

**Also, thank you LittleMissWolfie for putting me on alert! Cookies for you, too! (./.) *Hands you a giant cookie*  
**

**And special love cookies for all my readers! *Gives everyone heart-shaped cookies* ENJOY THE COOKIES EVERYONE! I LOVE YOU ALL SO FRIGGEN MUCH! Hehe =3  
**


	15. Telling Her

**A/N: Omg, what has it been, like, 2 months? I'M SO SORRY! OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG I'M HORRIBLE! I'm soooooo sorry! I was going to update waaaaay sooner but I had major writer's block, homework and God knows what else and I just couldn't get to it. I also felt as though it really sucked so all this time I was like, "Omg, how am I supposed to feel proud of this", but I FINALLY did it! I hope you're proud of me. Uhg, again, so sorry, I suck.**

**Okay, GET READING!**

**Oh wait, you'll notice there's a "(1)" like, 6 lines down, it's a note btw.**

* * *

**Notes:**

**(1) Remember him? I don't remember what chapter, but he's Ayane's boyfriend =P**

**I need to write a OneShot about their relationship, so keep your eyes open for that sometime.**

* * *

Shouta arrived at the school, the image of Yuki biting into her flesh was still imprinted in his mind; it sent chills down her back and made him feel nauseated. The words, "Only once" echoed in his head. It wasn't "only once", he knew that, but…

_Kuronuma's mom is Sawako's mom right? Does that mean… No, he wouldn't let his nerves make him think that way._

Shouta saw Sawako standing by her shoe locker and felt his heart flutter.

"Ah, Kuro-"

Just then, Shoua** (1)**, called out to him.

"Yo, Kazehaya!" He laughed heartedly and pounded him on the back, but Shouta's mind was elsewhere.

"I need to…" He trailed off, noticing a slight silver glimmer to his left.

"Yuki," He said under his breath and shook off his head from his shoulder. He glanced back at where Sawako was, but she wasn't there.

"Shoot, where did she go?" He pushed his friend aside and started for the classroom; Shoua stared at the back of his head thinking he was crazy and laughed to himself.

"What's gotten into him?"

* * *

He saw Sawako walk into the classroom and hesitated to call out for a moment. Too late, by the time he made up his mind, Ayane and Chizuru had merged her in between them and walked her into the classroom.

_Ah, Sawako!_ He thought and then remembered he forgot his bag, "Damn." He mumbled and turned away from the classroom.

Sawako thought she heard something as Ayane and Chizuru chatted in her ears, but she just brushed it off and shook her head, ignoring the small voice.

_Kuronuma…_ Shouta repeated, determined to talk to her right away once he got to the classroom. He arrived at his shoe-locker, picked up his bag and sighed.

_K-Kazehaya-Kun, I-I can hear you._ A little voice resonated in his head and he widened his eyes.

He covered his mouth and almost dropped his bag,_ I forgot you can hear me. He said to her._

_Ah, it-it just started up now._ She replied timidly. The voice was very faint; he could hardly hear her.

Shouta slung his bag over his shoulder and began walking towards the classroom again,_ I saw Yuki_. He heard a small gasp and chuckled to himself.

_R-Really_, Her excitement rebounded in his skull, he knew she was excited, but he didn't know how he should feel. The truth was, he was scared.

_Ah, yeah… But she wasn't there for long…_ He said uneasily, and then he remember this morning and shook his head_, I mean, I talked to her earlier this morning, but… Gah, now I'm just rambling._ He said trying to avoid any more discussion.

He walked through the hallway and stopped short. He noticed and odd silence filling his head and only then did he realize how disturbingly empty his mind was. He heard a small, "_Ayane is so nice_," before she started speaking directly towards him again._ Sorry, Chizuru and Ayane were talking to me._ Shouta smiled, nodding his head and continued his way to the classroom.

Shouta was getting used to this off and on way of communication. It was as if they had cellphones, but they didn't and they wouldn't have to wait to talk to each other. Sawako also didn't mind this change. It gave her more time to speak with Shouta and granted her more opportunities. Only, one thing did make her wonder.

_Why can't you hear all my thoughts?_ She asked.

It's not like this question was unfamiliar to Shouta, he never really minded it because he thought it would be better that way, but now that she brought up the topic, he couldn't find himself to reach a conclusion,_ I'm actually not sure._ He laughed nervously and arrived at the classroom door,_ I'm here._

Sawako looked over to the door and saw him standing there with a grin on his face. She sat up and leaned over her desk to give him a wave.

**Worst. Timing. Ever.**

The bell rang.

_That class was boring._ Shouta tried his hardest to strike a conversation with her before Ayane and Chizuru cut in.

_I-I quite enjoyed it though._ She said earnestly.

Ayane and Chizuru crowded her before Shouta got to answer. He sighed and sprawled out across his desk, offering to leave her alone for a while. He sighed, knowing that that's not what he really wanted, but had to deal with it. He looked up and saw Sawako smiling up at her two friends which caused him to bring a smile to his own face.

"You seem awfully quiet." Ayane raised her eyebrow at Sawako; Chizuru looked at her with an obvious "question mark" above her head.

Sawako blushed, which sent Ayane now looking at Chizuru and nodding her head off towards the black-haired girl.

Sawako thought alarmingly,_ K-Kazehaya-Kun. I think they know something._

Her naivety made Shotua chuckle and he replied, _Stay calm. They **are** your friends, but I don't think they know** that** much._ He saw Sawako ease down and heard her thinking quickly and very quietly, coming up with an excuse.

_Th-_ He heard, and the rest was spoken out loud, "That's because I was emerged so much in the lesson, that's all."

Sawako held her breath as Ayane looked at her a little longer before shrugging and saying to Chizuru, "She says it's nothing"

Chizuru responded with a snort, knowing that what she said wasn't true, "Look, we know_ something_ is up, but if you don't want to tell us, that's fine." She winked at Sawako and grinned, hiding the fact that she was hurt seeing that Sawako couldn't trust them.

Sawako released her breath that she bottled up inside and returned the smile.

Shouta stood up from his desk and walked over to them and grinned, "Lunch time."

They found a spot outside in the courtyard on a bench and with the absent bodies of Ayane and Chizuru, they were all alone.

The other two girls that accompanied Sawako and Shouta outside decided to leave the two together, expecting something to happen, but little did they know that that "something" has already happened.

_They're expecting something,_ Shouta noted to Sawako.

She glanced back at them before they left; Chizuru stopped to give an encouraging thumbs up and then clumsily followed Ayane once again. Sawako giggled at her friend and waved to her back.

She felt Shouta watching her and didn't dare herself to look at him as she shyly hid her face with her hair, "Wh-What?" She peeked over at him and noticed he was still staring at her. He chuckled.

_You're cute when you're flustered._

Sawako widened her eyes and blushed furiously,_ Foul play_, she huffed.

"I heard that." Shouta laughed and Sawako looked at him before cracking a small smile and giggled.

"Oh, stop it, you two." Suddenly, Yuki appeared in front of them.

"Yuki!" Sawako jumped up off the bench and pulled the little girl into a tight hug.

Shouta noticed that she could touch her without any troubles and grew wary,_ That's weird._

Sawako didn't seem to hear Shouta as she continued to fondle over the ghost girl.

_Sawako_, he said, and she stopped to look at him.

He sighed heavily and scratched the back of his head. He looked over at Yuki who glared back and said, "Yuki… Tell her what you are."

Sawako froze and wondered what this was about. Yuki looked from Shouta to Sawako before looking back at Shouta and shuffling herself away from Sawako.

"Kazehaya-Kun," Sawako asked, worried.

"Why do we have to tell her anything?" Yuki mumbled.

Shouta stood up and walked over to her, "Because you're her sister." He said through gritted teeth, trying to keep it quiet enough so that Sawako wouldn't hear.

"Why don't you tell her then, why does it have to be _me_?" She snarled.

Shouta was done with this, "Sawako, –He turned to her and pointed at Yuki- that's your sister, a ghost. She tried possessing you and she needs help-"

"Enough!" Yuki commanded, "What do you mean, I didn't ask for any help!" "God," She said under her breath.

Sawako blinked and looked at Yuki for a moment and then at Shouta, "Huh?"

There was another voice, "Wh-What is that?"

* * *

**A/N: And AGAIN, I apologize for the late update. I guess it's not so bad once you look at people who don't update for years, but this is really bad comparing my updates... Anyways, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and if you want to guess who the person was, PM me and I'll say if you're right or not.**

***Sigh* I hope I get to write a lot this week. I also have to organize some cans for the depot... Well, laters.**


	16. Reality

**A/N: Harro! Uhg, I'm sorry for the late update, again. I downloaded an app on my iPod so I could write and then upload it to my computer and onto here, finally, and so I started writing whenever I could. I think I might upload faster if I do it that way. _Hopefully_ this chapter will make up for the long wait. Thanks for reading up till now and...**

**READ ON!**

* * *

Everyone looked to where the voice came from.

Shino stood with a horrified expression on her face and pointed at Yuki, "What… Is that?" She repeated.

Shouta looked over at Yuki as Sawako glanced nervously at Shouta. She winced when Shino grabbed her arm and gave Yuki a glare.

"Stay away from Sawako." She snarled and yanked Sawako back in the school.

Sawako was confused as she was dragged through the halls.

_Ka-Kazehaya-kun!_ Sawako screamed in her head.

Shouta's voice calmly replied, _Don't worry, whatever it is, you'll be okay._ He sighed mentally, _She's your friend._

Sawako bit her lip and somewhat eased up as Shino pulled her into their classroom where a few students lounged.

Shino whispered harshly in her ear, "Don't _ever_ go around that girl again." Shino was afraid that her worst fear would come to life; she was afraid that her vision would become reality.

Sawako widened her eyes, "W-Why?" She asked.

"Just… _Please,_ don't go near her again." Shino said desperately.

Sawako could see plead within her eyes and agreed hesitantly with a small, silent nod.

Shino sighed out of relief and brought her into a hug, "Thank goodness…"

A few moments later, Shouta entered the classroom, "Kuronuma."

Sawako unwound herself from Shino and stood before him.

She saw Yuki behind him and stepped back warily, "Ah."

The little girl caught Shino's eye and she frowned, "What is that?" She asked for the third time.

"Not here." Shouta answered.

Shino clicked her tongue, annoyed and looked away in disgust.

She grabbed Sawako's hand, "Sawako isn't allowed near that thing, understood?"

Shouta widened his eyes, "…But-"

She cut him off, "Me and Sawako are going to go eat, see yah." They exited and Shouta was left stunned.

"Not allowed to see, but…"

* * *

Shino and Sawako walked along the sidewalk chatting to each other.

"Um… Shino, I met Yuki-chan yesterday and she's actually really nice, I don't think it'd be bad to be friends…-"

Shino stopped abruptly and pulled on her hand, "Sawako." Sawako noticed the urgency in her voice and looked back at her.

"I-I…"

She was interrupted by a voice, "Onee-san."

Sawako widened her eyes and realized the voice belonged to Yuki. She stood behind Shino who turned to look at the girl.

Shino glanced at Sawako gesturing to Yuki with her index finger, "Sawako?"

Yuki smiled and held out her hand, "I'm Kuronuma Yuki, Sawako's supposed-to-be-older-sister-but-died-when-she-was… " She held up five fingers with her other hand, "five-years-old, nice to meet you." Shino stared at her with detestation.

Sawako looked at the two nervously, sensing the hatred coming from Shino, "Shino, it's alright."

She reached out to touch her arm, but Shino slapped it away, "**It's not alright!**" She screamed.

Sawako jerked back and stared at Shino, frightened; Yuki slowly lowered her hand.

Sawako saw the regret in Shino's eyes immediately and thought twice about leaving her eyes, but she had made up her mind. What she did was rude and she would not let Shino treat Yuki like some sort of monster.

"Yuki, let's go." She grabbed the little girl's hand and pulled her with her.

Shino noticed that the girl seemed to appear as if she was alive once Sawako touched her and grew afraid.

_Oh my god. _She thought.

Sawako smiled down at the little girl with white hands grasping hers.

"Onee-san, let's walk across the street now." The transparent girl giggled and pulled Sawako's hand.

"Wait, Yuki, we've got to look both ways!" The little girl didn't stop as she took a leap into the street. Sawako's hand disappeared from the girl's fingertips.

"Yuki," She yelled.

Sawako heard a roar, a screech and warm arms around her waist as she reached out to catch the little girl.

A truck sat in the middle of the street where Yuki had was stood. Like a nail jutting out from a piece of wood, it seemed bent and dangerous. Sawako widened her eyes and saw that there was no body… No Yuki.

She looked down at the hands around her and touched them. Then she heard crying.

She escaped from the grasp of the person and turned around quickly. Shino stood with tears in her eyes and let the cries shake her body. Sawako suddenly covered her mouth, realizing what would have happened if Shino didn't stop her. Her heart felt as if it had stopped beating and she began shaking.

"Sh-Shi-Shino… What was I doing?"

They heard a slam of a car door and jerked out of their shock.

"What was that?!" A man yelled.

They turned to look at the man. Shino wiped the tears from her eyes as Sawako sucked in a breath.

"Were you trying to commit suicide or something, what were you thinking?!" The bald-headed man spat.

Sawako stuttered, "No... I, er... -She looked back at Shino- I saw someone."

The old man glared from the shock-ridden Shino to the hesitant Sawako and back again.

"You're lucky you didn't cause an accident and that I'm in an unusual good mood or I would've been furious."

The two girls nodded apologetically, "We're sorry."

The old man huffed and put his hands on his hips, snorting at them and shaking his head.

"At least they have manners." He mumbled, turned and walked away.

They heard the truck roar to life and saw it leave as Sawako let out the air she had been holding in the entire time.

She touched her cheeks which were burning bright red, "I thought I was going to die!" She said jokingly.

She turned to Shino who stared at her with the upmost distressed look she had ever seen.

_How could you even say that? You..._

"You almost did." Shino said.

The thought finally sunk in. Sawako widened her eyes and covered her mouth. She saw tears form in the corners of Shino's eyes as she nodded, a slight whine coming from her throat. Shino squeezed her eyes shut and placed a hand on Sawako's shoulder, gripping it tightly. Sawako grabbed it gently and squeezed Shino's fingers. Shino looked at her with those tearful eyes, slowly breaking Sawako's heart and suddenly she started to cry as well.

Sawako whispered, "I'm sorry," over and over. She realized that her actions had caused more damage than she had imagined.

Her heart throbbed as Shino came closer and wrapped her arms around her. Sawako returned the action and rested her head on her shoulder. Shino shook and Sawako patted her back softly. She felt Shino pull away from her and she stared at her with tawny-brown eyes.

"That's enough." She took a deep breath, "It's okay. We should go, your mom will worry." She wiped her tears off with her sleeve, grabbed Sawako's hand, started walking and turned back to give Sawako a masqueraded smile that confined her suffering.

Sawako could tell she was upset, but if she didn't want to show it, she knew she shouldn't push her. She guessed that she already had enough of showing her weak side. Shino always hid her emotions deep within herself instead of leaning on someone and Sawako knew that. It pained her. She wanted to be more dependable so Shino could rely on her, but Shino didn't even bother to anyways. She always dealt with it herself, just like this. Sawako wanted to be there for her. She didn't care about getting home late; she wanted to tell Shino that everything would be alright, that she was there and that she could take whatever she threw at her. The same as what Shino would do for her.

* * *

When they arrived at her house, Shino pulled on Sawako's hand making her face her. She stared right into her eyes and gained up some courage before saying, "I knew that was going to happen."

Sawako was unsure whether she was making a sarcastic remark with a serious tone or... She brushed that thought away, that wasn't it. Her tone was sincere and the way she hesitated for a moment tipped her off. She stood back, a little uneasy.

"W-What?" She stammered.

Shino held back a little bit, but knew she had to tell her so she did, "When we became friends, I saw things that I could never imagine. And I realized, these were scenes of what's to come. I was terrified. I thought of what it would be like to know of your death before that even crossed your mind. That thought came to me a couple weeks ago as one of my visions and... I had to stop it. -Tears began to well up in her eyes- I didn't want you to die." She dried some tears off with her hand, "I didn't want to go on knowing I could've stopped it, so I made sure to keep you away from that girl, but it was no use. -She swallowed hard, trying to stop crying- You almost got killed... Thankfully, I was there to stop you. I'm always there in the vision, I always envision it from my perspective and it's scary."

Sawako was dumbfounded and stared at her blankly with wide eyes, _What?_

* * *

**A/N: So, I already started on Chapter 17. :D **

**I hope you liked _this_ chapter and I might be able to get the next up in a week, no more. Please review if you can, tell me what you think, or not. xD **

**Uhhhh... I might start working on that OneShot I mentioned, Idk, I'll think about it a bit more. I guess it's also time to work on my other story... Omg, so much to do. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and look out for the next chapter coming out soon!**

* * *

**Shout-out to: gunner3000 and Cocopop55 for favouriting and putting my story on alert! *Gives cookies***

**Thank you Orchid-Bud for favouriting my story!**

**And thank you shesariot16 for putting the story on alert!**

**YOU ALL GET COOKIES! *Gives extra cookies* Woohoo! \(^o^)/**


	17. Foreigner

**A/N: Uhg, it's almost been 2 months since I've updated. I'm so sorry! x.x****School sucks, I had camp and my June's been really busy. I plan on getting a job in the Summer, but I'll have time to write so when it becomes that time I'll defiantly be writing more often and hopefully I can finish it this Summer. If not, then I'll finish it whenever. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Again, sorry for the long wait.**

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**Notes:**

**(1): Squeezing of the heart**

**(2): Said in a teasing or sweet tone**

**(3): Gah, omg. Sorry, I love putting in things like this!**

* * *

"I can see your future." Shino said, giving a weak smile and turning to walk away.

Sawako sat up in her bed, holding the hand she reached out to stop Shino, but was a heartbeat too late. She blinked as she lifted her gaze to her bedroom wall and cocked her head. She struggled to recall what happened after, but as she did so, she remembered Yuki. She replayed the mysterious scene of Yuki going out into the street and then something struck her: Before Yuki dissapeared she gave a smile. This smile was not sincere. No. Her smile was cunning and conceiving.

_Did she know I was going to try and save her? Did she... Try to kill me? She wouldn't do that... Would she?_

Sawako wasn't so sure anymore. It gave Sawako a disconcerted worry. Why did Yuki appear only now and could she really not trust her? But she was her sister! At least, that's what she had thought. Maybe she wasn't even that.

Sawako tore herself out of her trance and dragged her body off the bed and got ready for school.

* * *

It seemed as though everything was surreal. No one even knew that she almost died yesterday and Sawako almost thought that no one would even care.

_No, there's Ayane and Chizuru and Shino... They would care. And there's... Kazehaya-Kun, what would he think of this whole situation now? _She shook her head and tried to stop thinking about it.

As she opened her shoe locker, Ayane called out to her, "Sawako-Chan!"

She came up from behind and poked her spine jokingly causing Sawako to jump, "Ah!"

Ayane laughed, "What's the matter, why so tense this early in the morning?"

Sawako turned to her and waved her hands, "It's nothing! I was just surprised is all..."

Ayane looked at her curiously and shrugged.

"Okay, if you say so." She laughed again as Chizuru walked over to them.

"Hiya guys!" She squeezed herself in between them and swung her arms over their shoulders.

Ayane smiled through gritted teeth. "Chizu... Glad to see you..." Actually, Ayane has wanted to talk to Sawako alone for some time, but she's never gotten the chance to. She thought that she finally had finally gotten a break, but again, Chizuru emerged among the two.

"What are we talking about?" She looked at Sawako and then at Ayane.

"N-Nothing..." Sawako stuttered.

Chizuru raised her eyebrows, "Ehhhh?"

Sawako carefully lifted Chizuru's arm off her should and stepped away.

"I... I-It's nothing!" Sawako felt troubled. She didn't know whether sharing what had happened yesterday was the right thing to do. They didn't even know nor could they see Yuki and what if it scared them. Or... What if even worse: They thought she was lying?

She wouldn't tell them.

"I have to... Go talk to someone..." She thought quickly, "Shino, she needs me! I'll talk to you guys... At lunch." Sawako scurried away from the two with her bag and went to the classroom.

Shouta was waiting for her in the classroom, he needed to talk to her. Talk her through this and tell her that whatever happens, he'll be there for her.

"Kuronuma!" He smiled and waved.

Sawako stopped dead in her tracks just before the doorway as he managed to see her.

_I-I can't deal with this._

His heart pumped excitedly as he tried to get her attention one more time, but saw her turn away. _Squeeze_.** (1)**

Sawako left, bumping into someone, "Ah, sorry!" The girl mumbled a response without looking at her and continued walking.

Sawako dashed out of the hallway and out of the school, red-faced and utterly ashamed.

_What... What am I doing, now I'm avoiding him again? W-What do I do? _She took refuge in the courtyard and sat down on a bench. She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples, trying to calm herself down.

"What do I do, what do I do?" She repeated to herself quietly as she squished her face into various ways.

"What to do about what?*** (2)**" A blonde-haired boy said into her ear as he leaned over her shoulder.

"What?" Sawako stopped suddenly and looked at him. Their faces were centimeters away from each other.

"Ah!" Her face brimmed with red and she turned away hastily.

"Ouch, but points for the interesting reaction." The stranger walked around the bench and stood in front of her.

His hair was messy, a button undone of his shirt and his hands were in his pockets. He combed his fingers through his hair seductively as Sawako noticed his light blue, icy eyes

_A foreigner?_

"I know what you're thinking: A foreigner?" Sawako blinked surprised, and he chuckled, "I'm guessing you haven't heard of me, I'm Kento." He gave a flashy smile, the corners of his eyes peaking into a smaller angle.

"H-Hello." Sawako said timidly.

The boy teetered from his toes to his heels in a boyish way. He laughed like one too.

"You're something else*" He said as he moved closer and studied her face.

Sawako leaned back, her face growing redder and redder the closer he came.

"Ah, shouldn't you only be this intimate with... You know..." She looked away evading his gaze.

He raised his eyebrows and smirked, "Oh, but why would I care about something like that?* You know what they call someone like me?" Sawako looked back at him and nervously shook her head.

"A player." His eyes stared deep into the girl's. Their faces returned to that uncomfortable distance and Sawako shifted awkwardly in her seat.

"I wouldn't try anything you though*" He stood up straight and stretched his arms above his head giving her a big grin. "You like Shouta-Kun*, don't you?" Sawako's eyes flickered and suddenly, her face was burning bright red.

She stood up quickly, "H-How did you know that?"

He chuckled and shrugged, "It's obvious, isn't it?"

"I-I... Didn't know..." She trailed off hearing a faint voice.

_Sawako, Sawako, Sawako..._ It was difficult to hear it clearly.

"What are you doing?" Kento tilted his head in question.

Sawako blinked and then the voice spoke loudly into her head, _Sawako!_

She shyly looked at Kento and then looked away quickly responding, _What is it?_

_Where did you go?_ Shouta asked. She could almost hear the pounding of his heart and wondered if he had been looking for her this whole time.

Kento began to become even more curious in the girl as she hide her face within her hair and kept her eyes averted.

"What's wrong?" He leaned in closer trying to get a look at her face.

_Maybe I embarrassed her too much... _He thought and smiled to himself, _Or maybe she's fallen in love with me and feels bad that I think she likes Shouta-Kun*_

_Kazehaya-Kun... I'm sorry I ran away... I'm in the courtyard, with Kento-Kun._ Sawako took a step forward lifting her eyes up and turning her gaze to the entrance of the courtyard._  
_

_Kento? _Shouta questioned.

The blonde-haired boy was confused and followed her step. Unexpectedly, Sawako picked up her pace and rushed over to the entrance. Kento stopped and soon Shouta arrived and came out of the school. He felt his heart twist.

Kento widened his eyes, _No way... That girl? No, no, no, no, no, no. I don't... Do I? _**(3)**

"Kazehaya-Kun!" Sawako called and in no time was in front of him.

She coyly looked down at her hands, "Again... I-I'm sorry..." Her voice became silent and a wash of red swept over her face instantly.

"I know, I heard. It's really... It's fine." He smiled as Sawako's eyes expanded.

_Kazehaya-Kun is so accepting..._

All of a sudden, Shouta's face grew red and he covered it.

"Are you okay?" Sawako asked worriedly and looked into his eyes more intensely, cocking her head.

"It's-It's just that... I heard you." He said so quietly she was almost barely able to hear him.

She suddenly realized what he meant and she felt her face heat up even more than it was.

Meanwhile, Kento was fed up with watching these two flirts and had walked up to them.

"Aw man, get a room!" He said bitterly and carried on into the school.

Sawako and Shouta were surprised and watched as he marched down the hallway and then turned into a classroom. Sawako glanced over at Shouta and soon he looked over at her as well. Sawako couldn't help but giggle and Shouta seeing her enjoy herself couldn't help himself and joined in. After their laughter conceded they look at each other once more before the bell rang.

Shouta sighed. "Here," He opened the door for her and Sawako returned the motion with a kind smile. He nodded as she walked through.

After they were seated and the lesson began, Shouta conveyed his thoughts, _We need to talk... About Yuki._

Sawako peeked an eye over at him and gave a small nod, _We do._

* * *

**A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed it. In this FanFic you can see Kento is more of the bad boy type. :* Isn't it awesome? Haha xD**

**Okay, anyways... Next chapter might be out next week sometime, depends on the amount of time I work on it. I need to make an outline or something cuz I haven't planned out anything for a while and I really don't know what I'm doing next and I'm sort of winging it right now. It's fun, but that's what happens and then you don't know what to come up with next and drop the story. I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN, I'VE MADE IT THIS FAR, I'M NOT GIVING IN! Cheer on for me guys! \(^0^)/**

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**Shout-outs to:**

**To Gamera68 thank you for favouriting my story and putting it on alert! *Here's cookies* :D**

**To animenerd09 thank you for favouriting my story! =3 *COOKIES FOR YOUZ* :3**


	18. Park

**A/N: Hey! So here's a not-so-late update, yay! \(^o^)/ I did good on that part right? I hope you like the story part. xD Uhhh... Well, what else do I got to say?... Oh, heads up, this is a LONG chapter!**

**Have fun reading this chapter and please don't be afraid to tell me your thoughts! That means R&R! :D**

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It was the end of the day. Sawako looked around the room trying to figure out as to where Shouta could have gone.

_I'm so sorry Sawako! The teacher decided at the last second to assign some work to me since I'm the representative and all… You should go home; this could take a while and we could always talk about it tomorrow._

Sawako stopped and thought for a moment. She had been anticipating their talk since this morning and she couldn't just give up this feeling. She _really_ needed to talk to him.

_Me and Kazehaya-Kun could talk about it tomorrow, but…_

Shouta listened, but not intentionally. He couldn't help it. They did share thoughts after all so he pretended that he couldn't hear her.

_What if I waited for you?_ She finally said.

Shouta was slightly surprised. He didn't think that she could be so bold. _Wait for me? Yeah, let's do that!_

Sawako could imagine the sort of smile he had on his face and giggled to herself. Meanwhile, Shouta thought of what kind of face she must be making and wondered that if this was in person, her response would've been different. He smiled to himself, the smile lingering on his face while he did his work.

Sawako walked over to the wall of shoe lockers and sat down. She got out a book from her bag that she had just for these times of need. She ran her fingers along the title. _Beauty and the Beast_. Sawako had always loved this story, she's reread all the different variations multiple times, but she's found one version that she just adored. She realized as she opened the book that she was like the Beast and Shouta was like Belle. She was someone who had thought that she could never find someone to love and to be loved by and Shouta was the one to lift her dark curse. Their love was undying just like the character's love for each other and they learned that one should not judge a book by its cover. A gentle smile crept along her face as she opened the book and listened for the crack in the book's spine that she loved so much. Then, she began to read:

"_There was once a very rich merchant, who had six children, three sons, and three daughters…"_

* * *

Sawako was entirely indulged in the bittersweet love story and as she almost finished, she was disturbed by laughter.

"Hahaha, oh Kento, you're so funny*" The girl laughing so loudly lowered her voice to a whisper, "Do you want to go to my house and hear other noises come from these lips?* " She clung onto his arm and lowered his ear to her mouth, "Come on, let's go*"

He shivered, charmed by her seductions and almost agreeing instantly until he saw Sawako in the corner of his eye and froze. Sawako stared in awe at the pair and dropped her book.

"Ah, s-sorry, I didn't mean to overhear!" Her cheeks flushed as she scrambled to pick up her book and stand straight.

Kento immediately stepped away from the girl as soon as their eyes met. He shoved his hands in his pockets and bit his lip, "How about you go and I'll meet up with you later sweetie*" He gestured toward the exit with his head.

After the girl gave a small pout, she offered a peck on the cheek and then turned to glare at Sawako with a sour expression knowing she was reason he had changed his mind.

"Humph*" She flipped her hair and strode out of the school, but not after blowing a kiss and waving her hand flirtatiously. Kento rewarded her with an enticing smile and a loose wave.

Soon after she had left, Kento walked over to Sawako and gave a small shrug.

"Is she you girlfriend?" She asked.

"Yeah* and Sakura-Chan, and Chi-Chan, and Rin-Chan…" He counted off on his fingers as Sawako widened her eyes with each added name.

Her mind was spinning, "Wait, s-so you don't like any of them, but they're your girlfriends. Isn't that cheating?!" Sawako covered her mouth and looked around frantically.

_Did anyone else just hear what he said?!_

"Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. I don't think you understand the term "player". It's not what you think. See, they know that I'm not serious and they're okay with it*" He smiled and shrugged again.

"So… Have you… Never been in love?"

"It's not that I've never been in love, I just can't find the right person and while time goes by I'm having some fun*" He explained.

"That may be the same thing." She said quietly.

Those words pierced his heart.

"Oh what do you know?" He snorted. _All you've ever had is an unrequited love for the preppy little kid in first year. _He could feel himself getting more and more agitated with each word she spoke. But why did he feel so angry?

"Isn't it tiring?" She asked.

_No._

"Don't you just want to take a break?"

_I don't have to._

"Isn't there someone you want all those special moments only to be with?"

He couldn't believe how persistent she could be. _What the hell did she know? Nothing._ He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

"Don't you want to find someone to seriously fall in love with?"

Suddenly, he slammed his fist into one of the lockers, "Just be quiet, would you?!"

_What is with this girl, doesn't she know when to shut up?_

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" An angered Shouta appeared just in the nick of time.

He put an arm in between the two and glared at Kento who replied, "Oh look, prince charming has appeared… Oh, and you ask what _I'm_ doing? Why don't you tell your little girlfriend to stop poking her nose into someone else's life!"

Shouta turned to Sawako and sighed, "Let's just go."

He grabbed her hand and led her out of the school. They passed through the school gates and onto the sidewalk heading towards the park silently, Shouta still hung in the moment.

* * *

As they reached the park, Sawako spoke, "It-It hurts."

Shouta jumped, forgetting that she's been there the whole time and then realized that he was gripping her hand a little too tightly.

"Ah, sorry!" He let go and Sawako rubbed it gently with her fingers.

"It's okay…" She said so quietly he wasn't able to hear her.

For a few seconds; it seemed like minutes, they were speechless, too caught up in their own little worlds. Shouta glanced over at Sawako who unconsciously bit her lip and fiddled with her fingers.

**It was so awkward.**

Shouta sighed heavily. "Let's start again." He said finally, unable to withstand the agonizing silence anymore. This is not what he had planned. He wanted to have a normal conversation with her. He didn't want to have to worry about Kento or Yuki or even her friends, Ayane and Chizuru. He knew he was selfish, but he couldn't stop.

Startled, Sawako looked at him with big eyes. "Start again?... Ah, okay… Let's!"

She faced him and gave a small smile. He looked away, blushing and held out his hand. Sawako's face lit up with a red burn and she grasped his hand willingly. In her other hand she held her bag and her book. She looked at Shouta with sparkling eyes and he looked at her. She gasped and looked down at her feet as they walked along the path towards the center of the park. He chuckled and squeezed her hand. Her ears blazed, as did his, but they didn't care. That was what love was about: Feeling comfortable in your most embarrassed state even though it's _not_ comfortable.

They walked to a bench and sat down. Sawako placed her bag on the ground, her book landing with a small, dull thud to the ground and opening to a page.

"Oops!" She quickly picked it up and tried to slide it between her bag and the leg of the bench before Shouta reached over and grabbed it out of her hands, "Hey, give that to me!"

Shouta laughed as he held it just out of her reach. Sawako gave up quickly, knowing she'll never retrieve it back until he gave it to her. She settled back down on the bench and sulked like a small child. Shouta laughed and lowered the book onto his lap.

"Beauty and the Beast," The choice in fairytale perked is interest. "Why this book?"

Sawako's face reddened. "It's one of my favourites…"

Shouta smiled. That was so like her. Shouta thought that Sawako was someone who held important things to her closely. The book, her friends… Maybe he was? He slowly opened the book, still pondering that thought.

Shouta read over the first few words and then began to read aloud, _"There was once a very rich merchant, who had six children, three sons, and three daughters; being a man of sense, he spared no cost for their education, but gave them all kinds of masters. His daughters were extremely handsome, especially the youngest. When she was little everybody admired her, and called her "The little Beauty;" so that, as she grew up, she still went by the name of Beauty, which made her sisters very jealous."_

Sawako listened to his voice. She knew this story all too well to have to pay any attention to the story. All she wanted to do was listen to him. His voice was so soothing, but Sawako knew that she had something very important to tell him. As he finished the last word on the page, he flipped to the next. Sawako stopped him.

"We need to talk about Yuki."

Shouta stared at her for a moment before carefully closing the book again and handing it to her. She rested it on her lap and trailed her fingers along the title once more before putting it back between her bag and the bench leg.

Shouta shifted in his seat to face more towards her, "Do you know why Shino doesn't want me… Well, Yuki around you? Does she know that she tried to possess you?" He asked.

"No, she doesn't know that she tried to possess me, but… Yuki did something else yesterday, something really dangerous." Shouta stayed silent and waited for her to continue.

"She… Tried to kill me."

Shouta felt his heart stop. _Why? Why did Yuki want to hurt her? What did she intend to do?_

"I… Was walking with Shino when Yuki came by, and she went into the street just as a truck was coming. I ran out to stop her and Shino caught me, but if I had gone out I would've… I would've…" She got silent and looked down at her lap. Shouta grabbed her hand.

Sawako looked into his deep-brown eyes as he spoke, "I won't let her hurt you. Whatever she's doing, there must be a reason to it."

* * *

Suddenly, he had a flashback of yesterday: _"When people are angry, they usually take it out on somebody… I bite myself. Mom said it wasn't good to harm yourself, but I thought, "What's better? Hurting others for your own pain or dealing with it the way I do?" She slapped me saying I was stupid, but I still loved her and she still loved me… I know that. And besides, it was only once… Only once…"_

* * *

_And then she screamed, "__**IT WAS ONLY ONCE!**__"_

Shouta shivered. _Maybe she's angry. I've heard in books that spirits are sometimes restless if they were upset before they died._

"You're probably right, but what is it?" Sawako asked.

Then, they heard a muffled laugh. It was clear as to whom it belonged to even so.

"How pathetic," She sneered.

"Yuki," Shouta said.

Seconds later, she appeared in front of them out of thin air.

"Ah!" Sawako exclaimed, pointing without thinking and caused people to turn their heads.

Shouta noticed the unnecessary attention and pointed. "Uhhh… She saw a bee! Come on, let's go somewhere else." Shouta stood up and Sawako grabbed her bag and book. He pulled her along with him as Yuki watched. They went towards the exit and Yuki grinned. Just before they exited the park, Shouta stopped.

"Kazehaya-Kun, what's wrong?" Sawako walked ahead of him and then noticed he couldn't move any further.

Yuki shouted from where she stood, "Why can't you move Shouta-Kun?*"

Shouta's eyes widened and he squeezed Sawako's hand.

"You can come back here if you'd like!" Yuki laughed.

Shouta hesitated, but he knew something was up so he looked at Sawako and reassured her with another squeeze while he pulled on her hand gently. She nodded and followed him back towards the girl. When they reached her, they stopped and stared at the ghost. Shouta held Sawako's hand tightly. She gave a small squeeze before he spoke.

"Why can't I leave?"

Yuki scratched the back of her head and snickered, "I don't suppose it has something to do with this?" She touched the tip of her finger, a vibrant string gradually formed from herself to Shouta, the other end appearing on the finger of which he held Sawako's hand.

He quickly drew his hand away and shook it, unsuccessfully trying to make it disappear. The string freely danced between them, the slack of the string making it bounce airily in the wind.

"Wh-What is this?!" He tried touching it however his hand went through it instead.

"It's like a red string of fate. Only, this string is white and has no romantic connections and it's only purpose is so that I can follow you at all costs. Really, it's not like a red string of fate, but it is a connection between to two spiritually." She lifted her hand and studied the string as if it was a ring and frowned. "This string has kept my soul from leaving your useless side."

"Kazehaya-Kun is not useless!" Sawako disagreed excitedly. Shouta stopped her; that was beside the point.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, from all the time I've spent being a ghost…" She paused for a moment. The thought of being dead still hurt her. She struggled to get back to the discussion, "Ah… Uhm… I-I… I found out that I can't be more than eight meters away from you and vice versa. Otherwise, the string would pull me along and I have no choice but to follow you."

Sawako glanced over at Shouta who was most likely running this over in his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again. The truth was, he was dumbfounded. How could something like this be so confusing? Then he remembered that this was death they were talking about.

He finally found the right words he wanted to say, "Why after all this time_ I'm_ the one being stopped now?"

Yuki chuckled, "I pulled some strings*"

_That's the last straw…_ Shouta was about to explode when Sawako jumped in.

"Why would you do that?" The agony was clear in her voice.

"Because I think everybody should know what happened to me…"

"LET IT GO!" Shouta yelled.

Yuki was startled. _Let it go?_ How could she possibly let go of what she already lost? He didn't know how it felt. He doesn't know how it feels. _Why should I let go of what I finally managed to get?_

Strangers were now interested in what was happening in the center of the park.

"Yuki, we need to talk somewhere else, please. I will listen to what you have to say if you just come with us." He pleaded.

Yuki considered it, agreeing only to the fact that she would be able to say what she's always wanted without any interruptions. "Fine, where are we going?"

"Er, it's actually getting late and my mom…" Yuki shot her a deadly glare, "I-I mean _our_ mom will be worried. Could we talk tomorrow?" Sawako interjected.

Shouta looked at her and then at Yuki, a look of wanting to do what Sawako requested plainly stated in his eyes.

"Alright, whatever, fine, tomorrow then." She said a little irritated.

"Tomorrow," Shouta assured.

All was established and with that, Yuki disappeared along with the string that marked their connection. Shouta looked around; people stared, bewildered at the strange performance.

"What was that?" Someone asked.

"I don't know…" A woman looked at them shaking her head.

"Sawako, you need to go." Shouta said.

Sawako quickly packed her book in her bag which caught Shouta's attention and he took the bag from her.

"I'll hold it." He smiled, a little shakily.

Sawako noticed, her eyes widening and she looked down at her feet. She could tell that the whole thing involving Yuki bothered him so much that it crushed his composure. She felt that she was the one to blame and her heart squeezed painfully in her chest.

Shouta struggled to show a smile on his face as to not worry her, but it was hard. He didn't know how to handle the additional anxiety. He was terrified of what Yuki was capable of. He already knew she could possess her, possibly kill her and… He didn't want to think of what else she could do. That was enough. He held out his hand for her to hold. Sawako looked at him and nervously grabbed it. Her ears were red as he led them out of the park. This time, there were no complications.

* * *

Halfway along, Shouta turned his hand and interlocked his fingers with hers. He looked away, blush covering his cheeks. Sawako smiled and closed the small distance between them, resting her head against his arm.

She closed her eyes, "Shou…ta…" She said quietly.

Shouta thought he misheard, but then she quickly brought her head off his arm and he knew that what he heard was right. She blushed a deep red, her ears burning.

"Yes? Sawako," He laughed, knowing that he would make her even more flustered.

He was right. Her heart thumped loudly and her face was ablaze with red. Her hand became sweaty with nervousness, but he didn't mind. He was sure that some of that sweat was his.

"I was just trying it out..." She said even softer than before.

He thought past that, "How about tomorrow we tell the whole school we're dating?" He gestured out dramatically with his hand.

"The _whole_ school," She asked.

"The whole school," He repeated and nodded his head.

"That sounds exciting!"

Shouta squeezed her hand. She squeezed back and returned her head back to rest on his arm, "I wish it was just like this." She purred.

"Yeah, that would be nice…" He said.

For the rest of the way they were silent, listening to the crickets talk to each other. As they approached Sawako's house Shouta sighed.

_I wish the road was longer, _they thought exactly at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled.

"You too," Shouta asked; Sawako nodded.

He chuckled and let go of her hand. "Your mom will worry though." He said sadly and gave her bag.

Sawako bowed, "Thanks for returning me."

He heartedly smiled, leaned in and gave her a kiss on her forehead. He pulled back and covered his face as he blushed. Sawako's skin burned where he had touched her and she widened her eyes.

"Ah," She touched her forehead and he gave a teasing grin.

"Well, see you tomorrow then!" He saluted and off he went.

Sawako hurriedly went into the house and caught her breath she had been holding in.

Her mom called, "Where have you been?"

"The park," She answered.

"With who?" Chizu asked.

Sawako thought that now would be the perfect time to tell her. She placed her bag beside her shoes and ran into the kitchen. She excitedly landed her hands on the table, "My… Boyfriend!"

Her mother stopped and studied her beaming face. Sawako thought that her mom was mad since she _was_ only in her first year of high school…

Suddenly, Chizu's expression softened and she laughed, "You should've brought him in for dinner!"

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! My next chapter will be up sometime soonish. Depends, so just wait a little, okay? Thanks for reading! ^^**


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